As Worlds Collide
by supremeleaderofallbeing
Summary: Having recovered from his regeneration, the Doctor takes Jimmy and Olivia back to the TARDIS for further adventures. But something very evil is brewing in a parallel universe. And what does the mysterious Torchwood Institute want with the Doctor? AU of Series 2 with OC's.
1. New Earth part 1

**Hey guys, I'm back! I'm going to have a lot of free time over the next few months, so I thought, why not continue the story? For those of you who have not read the previous story, I would suggest you do. However, looking back, I can't say that it is my finest work, so I'll give you a basic description of the characters.**

 **Jimmy is a 16 year old boy from a violent council estate in Brixton, South East London. Much of his life has involved conflict with the gang members and other criminals on the estate. HIs mother tried to keep him away from the gang culture by sending him to a school away from the area. However, this resulted him being bullied for his poor background and in particular his accent, which is stereotypical to gang members. Bullied at school and conflicted at home, Jimmy travels with the Doctor because as far as he is concerned, there is nothing left for him on Earth. He wasn't particularly attractive at the beginning, but ever since he started working out and taking pride in his appearance, he has gotten much more handsome.**

 **Olivia is the same age as Jimmy. She hails from Streatham, which is a bit further out into the South East and considerably more affluent than Brixton. Beautiful, intelligent and popular, Olivia was part of a group of girls lead by Alice McGowan. Alice is a bully who delights is preying on those who cannot stand up for themselves. Olivia is often uncomfortable with Alice's nastiness but cannot pluck up the courage to tell her friend that what's she's doing is wrong. She travels with the Doctor because she knows there's more to life than her existance on Earth.**

 **They travel with an alternative version of the Tenth Doctor. For a basic explanation of why he is so different from ''our'' ten, the Doctor's state of mind as he changes plays a massive part in the person he becomes. In the original timeline, Nine travelled with Rose and fell in love with her, and that love was on his mind as he regenerated, leading to him becoming a man who is perfect for her. In this version of events, Nine never met Rose and didn't fall in love, so the man he ended up becoming was completely different. The Alternative Tenth Doctor appears to be in his late 20s, with dark brown hair and a beard. He wears an entirely black suit. More of his persona will be revealed over the coming story.**

* * *

The alarm clock rang for 7AM, and Olivia Alison's eyes fluttered open. Initially, she was reluctant, much preferring to have more time in bed, until she glanced at the pile of suitcases in the corner of her room, which made her remember what day it was. Today was the day she went back to the TARDIS.

Olivia had had the time of her life the past several months with Jimmy Greaver and the Doctor. Olivia had been acquainted with Jimmy during her time at school, but she had never really considered him a friend. Indeed, many of Olivia's friends had hated Jimmy, in particular her friend Alice, who had made Jimmy's life a living hell. However, that all changed when Olivia met the Doctor. She smiled at the memory, she and Jimmy had ended up being attacked at school until the Doctor saved them, only to disappear immediately after. Both she and Jimmy were dangerously curious, and their curiosity got them caught up in the Doctor's battle with a living plastic creature. After they both helped him save the world, the Doctor revealed the truth about himself: He was an alien being, a Time Lord, and he offered them both a place aboard his time machine, the TARDIS.

They travelled to so many places, past, future, present, fighting evil wherever they went. From Slitheen to Daleks to corrupt humans to Gas Masked zombies. It had been the best few months of Olivia's life. However, when the Doctor ended up being severely injured fighting the Daleks, Olivia and Jimmy were shocked to watch him change completely as part of some kind of healing process. ''Regeneration'' he called it. The Doctor had gone from being a tall, short haired man with enormous ears and a northern accent to a younger, rugged looking man with dark brown hair, a beard and a very posh accent. At first, both humans had struggled to believe that this was the same man they had travelled with, but after watching him save the world once more, both were convinced.

The Doctor had suggested that Olivia and Jimmy spend a few days at home before resuming their travels. Both had done so, and Olivia was eager to get back into the TARDIS.

After taking a shower, having breakfast and brushing her teeth, Olivia returned to her room to get changed. After selecting a simple outfit of black leggings and a white blouse, as well as her pendant necklace, Olivia stepped out of her room. She hugged her mother, Molly, goodbye and helped her father, Angus, load the suitcases into his car.

''Let's go, Dad!'' she said, stepping into the car. Angus stepped into the driver's seat and started the engine. Olivia waved one last goodbye to her mother as the car moved off. The drive to Frederick Street, where the TARDIS usually landed, was a short one, and once they got there, Olivia saw Jimmy with his father, Joshua, and brother, Adam.

''Hey Liv,'' Jimmy said.

''Hi Jimmy,'' Olivia replied, ''Help me get these suitcases inside the TARDIS.''

Jimmy did as he was told, opening the boot of Angus' car and starting to unload the bags into the TARDIS, ''Liv, you said 'help', not ''do it for me','' he called from inside.

''Shut up and get on with it!'' Olivia giggled. Jimmy huffed and moved to carry the last bag into the police box.

''Right,'' Jimmy said as he stepped out, ''All the best, Dad,'' he shook his father's hand, ''see you mate, stay out of trouble,'' he said to his brother, before stepping inside the TARDIS.

''Bye Dad,'' Olivia said, hugging her father, who moved to ruffle her blonde hair, ''Dad, I'm not a boy!'' she giggled, dodging him.

''Coming or what, Olivia?'' the Doctor asked.

''Coming, coming!'' the blonde said, shaking her head at the Time Lord's impatience. Olivia stepped inside. The TARDIS console room was looking much cleaner than before.

''You've cleaned this place up!'' Jimmy noted.

''I like it clean,'' the Doctor replied.

''So where're we going?'' Jimmy asked.

''Further than ever before,'' the Doctor said, setting the TARDIS into flight.

The TARDIS came to a halt, and Jimmy and Olivia grinned at each other.

''Race you to the door!'' Jimmy said, and the two dashed towards the TARDIS doors. Jimmy got there first, pulling the door open to reveal a beautiful, vast stretch of grass. In the distance was a futuristic looking city, and what appeared to be flying cars zoomed above them.

''That's beautiful,'' Olivia said.

''It's the year five billion and twenty three,'' the Doctor explained as he left the TARDIS, ''We're in the galaxy M87, and this is New Earth.''

''This is...'' Jimmy began in awe.

''Come on!'' the Doctor said, walking off and eventually sitting down in a spot a short distance away.

''You remember what you saw on platform one?'' the Doctor asked his friends as they sat down.

''Not likely to forget,'' Jimmy said, ''the Earth blew up!''

''But it's not over for Humanity,'' the Doctor explained, ''They continue across the universe, but a nostalgic community wants the good old Earth back. They find this planet. Same size as the Earth same atmosphere, same orbit. Humans move in En Masse.''

''What's the city called?'' Olivia questioned.

''New New York,'' the Doctor responded, only for both humans to scoff.

''Serious?'' Jimmy asked. The Doctor nodded.

''Actually, it's the 15th New York since the original,'' the Doctor noted.

''Can we go and visit?'' Olivia asked ''If it's anything like old New York I could go shopping for hours!''

''Later,'' the Doctor replied, ''We've got to go there first,'' he pointed towards a large building far away.

''What's that?'' Jimmy asked.

''Looks like some kind of hospital,'' the Doctor explained.

''You'll fit right in,'' Jimmy joked, making Olivia laugh.

''I got a message,'' the Doctor explained, showing them his psychic paper which bore the words 'Ward 26, please come,'.

''Someone wants to see you,'' Olivia realised, as the three set off towards the hospital.

* * *

''Looks like a nice place,'' Jimmy said as they entered.

''I'm not a fan of hospitals,'' the Doctor muttered. Olivia let out a scoff at the fact that ''the Doctor'' didn't like hospitals.

Jimmy watched what appeared to be a human-cat hybrid walk past him.

''Are they cats?' he asked.

''Don't be rude, Jimmy,'' the Doctor warned. Olivia paused to get a good look at the cat woman, while the Doctor and Jimmy stepped into a lift.

''Ward 26,'' the Doctor ordered.

''Stop!'' Olivia called, but it was too late. The doors had shut and the lift had started to move.

''It's alright, there's another one!'' Olivia said, stepping into a neighbouring lift.

''Watch out for the disinfectant!'' the Doctor warned.

''The what?'' Olivia asked. The Doctor did not bother to reply, ''Ward 26 please,'' Olivia said. The lift doors closed and it started moving.

The Doctor braced himself as the tannoy announced, ''Commence stage one – disinfection,'' He and Jimmy were hit by a shower of disinfectant.

''What the hell!'' Jimmy shouted, while the Doctor seemed to be enjoying himself.

''Commence stage one – disinfection,'' the tannoy said in Olivia's lift. Olivia screamed as the disinfectant poured over her, ruining her clothes and hair, and washing her make up completely off her face. Suddenly, a white powder was puffed over the Doctor and Jimmy, with the same happening to Olivia.

''This is mental, Doc!'' Jimmy spat. Finally, a blow dryer engaged, blowing Olivia's hair everywhere. Olivia sulked as the blow dryer switched off.

Jimmy and the Doctor stepped out onto Ward 26, the latter having thoroughly enjoyed his experience on the lift. Olivia, meanwhile, stepped out into a dark, cold corridor.

''The Human child is clean,'' a voice said. Olivia turned to see a man with odd patterns on his face standing a short distance away.

''Where's Ward 26?'' Olivia asked.

''This way, Olivia Alison,'' the man said, leading her away.

* * *

''The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help. And to mend,'' a cat-woman, Sister Jatt explained to the Doctor and Jimmy as they walked through Ward 26. They walked past the bed of a fat man who appeared to be turning to stone.

''Excuse me!'' an uptight looking woman said, approaching them, ''Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York.''

''That's Petrifold Regression,'' the Doctor noted after taking a good look at the Duke's condition.

''I'm dying, sir,'' the Duke said wearily, ''A lifetime of charity and abstinence. And it ends like this.''

''Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance,'' the uptight woman warned.

''Frau Clovis!'' the Duke called, and the uptight woman, Frau, went to his side, ''I'm so weak!''

''Sister Jatt! A little privacy, please!'' Frau ordered. Sister Jatt began to walk away followed by the Doctor.

''He'll be up and about in no time,'' Jatt remarked confidently.

''Not likely,'' the Doctor said, ''There won't be a cure for Petrifold Regression for a thousand years.''

''Have faith in the sisterhood,'' Jatt insisted, ''But is there no one here you recognize? It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient.''

''Doctor,'' Jimmy called, having noticed something at the far end of the room. The Doctor looked up to see the Face of Boe, whom they had met on Platform One, and a cat nurse at his side.

''We've found him,'' the Doctor told Jatt, who approached the cat nurse.

''Novice Hame,'' she began, ''If I can leave these gentlemen in your care?''

''Could you ask about our friend as well?'' Jimmy asked, ''She might have got lost. Name's Olivia Alison.''

''Certainly, sir,'' Jatt replied, walking away.

''I'm afraid the Face of Boe's asleep,'' Novice Hame told the Doctor, ''That's all he tends to do these days. Are you a friend, or...?''

''We met just the once on Platform One,'' the Doctor recalled, ''What's wrong with him?''

''I'm so sorry,'' Hame said, ''I thought you knew. The Face of Boe is dying.''

''Of what?'' the Doctor asked sadly.

''Old age. The one thing we can't cure,'' Hame explained, ''He's thousands of years old. Some people say millions. Although, that's impossible.''

''Oh, I don't know...'' the Doctor muttered absent-mindedly, before kneeling down to talk to the Face, ''It's me, the Doctor,'' he introduced, ''I know I look different, but trust me, it's me.''

* * *

Olivia followed the man out of the corridor and into a decrepit room where a projection was playing, showing some kind of party.

''I mean, you never know what your life's going to be like! Ever! I'm bored with this drink,'' a blonde woman with a strangely familiar voice said, ''Anyway... oh, hello darling! Now, don't! Stop it!''

''Peekaboo!'' the familiar voice boomed, making Olivia yelp. She whirled around to face Cassandra, who she thought had died on Platform One.

''How are you still alive?'' Olivia asked.

''Oh, there's plenty of time for that...'' Cassandra responded, ''Moisturize me, moisturize me,'' she called to the pattern-faced man, who did as he was told.

''Who's he, your boyfriend?'' Olivia asked mockingly, trying to stay as far away from Cassandra as possible.

''Chip's not even a proper life-form,'' Cassandra explained, ''He's a force-grown clone. I modelled him on my favourite pattern. But he's so faithful. Chip sees to my physical needs.''

''How are you still alive?'' Olivia asked again.

''After you murdered me,'' Cassandra sneered.

''The brain of my mistress survived,'' Chip explained, ''And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the bin.''

''But your skin got ripped apart!'' Olivia reminded her.

''That piece of skin was taken from the front of my body,'' Cassandra explained, ''This piece is the back.''

''The mistress was lucky to survive,'' Chip said, ''Chip secreted mi'lady into the hospital. Chip steals medicine. Helps mi'lady. Soothes her. Strokes her.''

''I'm a bit creeped out now...'' Olivia muttered, rolling her eyes.

''But I'm so alone, hidden down here,'' Cassandra, ''the last Human in existence...''

''But you're not though, are you,'' Olivia reminded her, ''Do you know how many humans are out there?''

''Mutant stock!'' Cassandra scoffed.

''Forget it, Cassandra,'' Olivia said, not wanting to reignite the same argument Cassandra had had with Jimmy on Platform One.

''Oh, I remember that night,'' Cassandra said, changing the subject and referring to the projection, ''Drinks for the Ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that it all became... such hard work.''

''Tell me about it,'' Olivia muttered sarcastically, ''That thing washed my make up off.''

''But I've not been idle, Olivia... tucked away, underneath this hospital,'' Cassandra said, ''I've been listening. The Sisters are hiding something.''

''What?'' the blonde asked.

''Oh... these cats have secrets,'' Cassandra replied, ''Hush, let me whisper. Come close.''

''How stupid do you think I am?'' Olivia asked with a smirk, starting to move backwards, only to fall into a machine which suspended her arms with two rays of energy.

''Chip! Activate the psychograft!'' ordered Cassandra. Chip pulled a lever, and more rays of energy descended from the ceiling, containing Olivia like a cage.

''What are you doing, Cassandra?'' Olivia asked.

''The lady's moving on,'' Cassandra cheered, ''It's goodbye trampoline, and hello Blondie!'' A wave of energy then flew from Cassandra into Olivia's body. The rays of energy disappeared and ''Olivia'' collapsed. Chip walked over to her.

''Mistress?'' he asked.

''Moisturize me...'' Cassandra/Olivia muttered.

''How bizarre...'' Cassandra/Olivia said as she started to realises what she now was, ''Arms... fingers... hair! Let me see! Let me see!'' She ran to a mirror, and looked at her reflection, ''My God, I'm gorgeous!''

* * *

The Doctor returned to the Ward, having gotten Hame and Jimmy something to drink.

''That's very kind,'' Hame said, ''But there's no need.''

''You're working,'' Jimmy countered softly.

''There's not much to do. Just maintain his smoke,'' Hame replied modestly, ''And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes. In my mind... such ancient songs...''

''Are we his only visitors?'' the Doctor asked.

''The rest of Boe-kind became extinct. Long ago,'' Hame told them, ''He's the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the universe grow old. There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret. That he will speak those words only to one like himself.''

''What does that mean?'' Jimmy asked.

''It's just a story,'' Hame dismissed.

''Then tell it,'' the Doctor insisted.

''It's said he'll talk to a wanderer. To the man without a home,'' Hame explained, the Doctor wondered for a second whether this legend was referring to him, ''The lonely God.''

* * *

 **Hope you guys like the first chapter. Why not leave a review and tell me what you think?**


	2. New Earth part 2

''Oh... curves... oh, baby...'' Cassandra cheered, relishing being in Olivia's body, ''It's like living inside a bouncy castle!''

''Mistress is beautiful!'' Chip complimented.

''Absolutement!'' Cassandra agreed, ''Oh, but look...'' she turned to her old skin frame, now empty.

''Oh...! The brain lead expired,'' Chip said, ''My old mistress is gone.''

''But safe and sound in here,'' she replied, tapping Olivia's head.

''What of the Olivia child's mind?''

''Oh... tucked away...'' Cassandra replied nonchalently, ''I can just about access the surface memory, she's... Gosh... she's with that boy, Jimmy... and the Doctor... that man in the black suit... he's the Doctor... the same Doctor with a new face! That hypocrite! I must get the name of his surgeon.''

Suddenly, Olivia's phone rang.

''Oh... it seems to be ringing,'' Cassandra said, ''Is it meant to ring?''

''A primitive communications device,'' Chip replied.

Cassandra answered the phone. It was Jimmy, ''Where are you, Liv?'' he asked.

''Uhm... wotcha...'' Cassandra replied, trying to mimic how she recalled Olivia speaking.

''Where've you been?'' Jimmy asked.

''I'm on my way, governor,'' Cassandra replied, ''I shall proceed up the Apples and Pears.''

''The Face of Boe's here, Liv!'' Jimmy said, ''You've gotta come and see!''

''That big old... boat... race...'' Cassandra said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

''Anyway, just hurry up, Liv, '' Jimmy insisted, ''You know how impatient the Doctor is,'' he ended the call and went back to the Doctor, who was drinking champaign with Frau Clovis and the Duke of Manhattan.

''This man is my good luck charm!'' the Duke said, pointing at the Doctor, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

''Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan does not constitute a form of legal contract,'' Frau said. The Doctor nodded.

''Winch me up,'' the Duke ordered. Frau did so, ''Ah! Look at me!'' the Duke cheered, ''No sign of infection!''

''You had Petrifold Regression, right?'' the Doctor asked.

'''Had' being the operative word!'' the Duke cheered, ''Past tense! Completely cured.''

''That simply isn't possible,'' the Doctor said gravely.

''Primitive species would accuse us of magic, but it's merely the tender application of science,'' another cat nurse explained.

''What's in that solution?'' he asked, looking at the serum being fed to the Duke.

''A simple remedy,'' she dismissed.

''But what?'' the Doctor pressed.

''I'm sorry. Patient confidentiality,'' the cat nurse said, ''I don't believe we've met. My name is Matron Casp.''

''I'm the Doctor.''

''I think you'll find that we're the Doctors here,'' Casp commented, making the Doctor roll his eyes.

''Matron Casp, you're needed in intensive care,'' Sister Jatt said.

''If you would excuse me,'' Casp said. The Doctor eyed the two nurses suspicously as they walked away.

* * *

''This Doctor man is dangerous,'' Chip said as Cassandra made one last assessment of her new body in the mirror.

''Dangerous and clever,'' Cassandra replied, ''I might need a mind like his. The Sisterhood is up to something. Remember that Old Earth saying...? Never trust a Nun. Never trust a Nurse. And never trust a cat. Perfume?''

Chip took out a small tube of perfume and handed it to Cassandra, who shoved it down her cleavage before striding out of the room.

* * *

Jimmy smiled as Olivia/Cassandra finally arrived on Ward 26. The Doctor was examining various serums.

''You two!'' he called, ''Come and look at this patient!'' It was a man whose skin was completely red, ''Marconi's Disease. Should take years to recover, yet here it took two days. I've never seen anything like it - they've invented a cell washing cascade - it's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one!'' he led them over to a man who was completely white, ''Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine!''

''I don't understand,'' Jimmy said, ''If these diseases are as bad as you say, how are these guys able to cure it so easily?''

''I don't know,'' the Doctor murmured, leading them off, ''I need to find a terminal. We can find out why they're so secretive.''

''I can't Adam and Eve it,'' Olivia/Cassandra chipped in.

''Liv, what are you on about?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Oh, I don't know... just larking about...'' she said, ''New Earth...New me...'' she suddenly grabbed Jimmy and pulled him into a kiss. The Doctor looked away and shook his head. He knew the two humans had feelings for each other, but did they have to act on them at such an inappropriate time?

''Humans and their hormones,'' the Doctor muttered disgustedly.

Olivia/Cassandra finally pulled away and smiled at Jimmy, who looked shocked, ''T... terminal's this way,'' she said, heading off, the Doctor stalking after her. Jimmy took a few seconds to compose himself, before staggering after the two.

* * *

''Nothing out of the ordinary at all,'' the Doctor said as he read a terminal, ''Surgery... post-op... nano-dentistry...''

''No, it's missing something else,'' Olivia/Cassandra said, ''When I was downstairs, those Nurse/Cat/Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it...?''

''There's nothing on here,'' the Doctor said.

''Why would they hide a whole department?'' Olivia/Cassandra asked as the Doctor began working on the system with the sonic screwdriver, ''It's gotta be there somewhere,'' Cassandra insisted, ''Search the sub-frame.''

''What if the sub-frame's locked?'' the Doctor questioned.

''Try the installation protocol...''

The Doctor did so. Suddenly, the entire wall descended to reveal a corridor.

''I may be wrong, but I think that might just be intensive care,'' he said, leading his companions inside.

The Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia/Cassandra descended down a metal staircase into intensive care. They saw row upon row of huge green doors. The Doctor opened one with the sonic screwdriver to reveal a man covered in boils and surrounded by smoke.

''That's disgusting,'' Olivia/Cassandra commented, ''What's wrong with him?'' The Doctor just looked at the man solemnly before shutting the door. He opened another door to reveal a woman in a similar condition to the man.

''What disease is that?'' Olivia/Cassandra asked.

''All of them,'' the Doctor spat, disgusted, ''Every single disease in the galaxy, they've been infected with everything.''

''What about us?'' Olivia/Cassandra asked, ''Are we safe?''

''The air's sterile,'' the Doctor said, ''Just don't touch them.''

''How many patients are there?'' Jimmy asked.

''They're not patients,'' the Doctor told him.

''But they're sick,'' Olivia/Cassandra replied.

''They're meant to be sick,'' the Doctor snarled, ''That's how the Sisters develop their medicine. These people are their test subjects, their guinea pigs!''

''Why don't they just die?'' Olivia/Cassandra asked.

''Plague carriers. The last to go,'' the Doctor told her.

''It's for the greater cause,'' Novice Hame's voice said, as she approached them from the other end.

''When you took your vows, did you agree to this?'' the Doctor asked.

''The Sisterhood has sworn to help,'' Hame replied.

''You're certainly helping these people, aren't you?'' the Doctor said sarcastically.

''But they're not real people,'' Hame countered, ''They're specially grown. They have no proper existence.''

''And how many of these people die every day until you find the cure you're looking for?'' the Doctor questioned, furious.

''Mankind needed us,'' Hame explained, ''They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle... but the results were too slow. So the sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh.''

''They are living, thinking human beings!'' the Doctor raged.

''But think of those Humans out there... healthy... and happy, because of us.''

''And what makes them any more important than these people?''

''Just to confirm,'' Olivia/Cassandra cut in, ''None of the Humans in the city actually know about this?''

''We thought it best not-'' Hame began.

''Hold on,'' Jimmy said, ''What have you done to Liv? The way she's been acting today and the fact she didn't even care about those people. What did you to her?''

''I don't know what you mean,'' Hame defended.

''Whatever you've done to her, I want it reversed,'' the Doctor ordered, stepping forward menacingly.

''We haven't done anything,'' Hame insisted.

''I'm perfectly fine,'' Olivia/Cassandra insisted.

''No, you're not,'' Jimmy replied, ''Liv, you're not you!''

''Oh, all right, clever clogs,'' Olivia/Cassandra said, unzipping his brown jacket flirtaciously, ''Smarty pants, Lady-killer.''

''What's happened to you?'' the Doctor asked.

''I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed this body and your mind to find it out,'' Olivia/Cassandra replied.

''Who are you?'' the Doctor questioned.

''The Last Human,'' Olivia/Cassandra whispered into the Doctor's ears.

''Cassandra?'' the Doctor realised.

''Wake up and smell the perfume,'' she said, taking out the bottle and squirting it in both the Doctor and Jimmy's faces, knocking both unconscious.

''You've hurt them!'' Hame panicked, ''I don't understand- I'll have to fetch Matron!''

''You do that, 'cause I want to see her,'' Olivia/Cassandra countered, ''Now, run along! Sound the alarm!''

Hame stalked off, and Olivia/Cassandra ripped a wire from the wall, setting off the alarm.

* * *

The Doctor awoke to find himself inside one of the cells in intensive care, and was rather cramped as Jimmy had been shoved inside with him. The Doctor realised that in his new body, he disliked any form of physical contact, and so having Jimmy pressed against him was very irritating.

''Let us out! Let us out!'' the Doctor and Jimmy both called.

''Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only,'' Olivia/Cassandra said smugly through the door.

''You've stolen Liv's body,'' Jimmy said.

''Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor,'' Olivia/Cassandra said, ''And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about... three minutes left. Enjoy.''

''Please don't hurt her,'' Jimmy begged.

''Anything we can do to help?'' Jatt said, approaching with Casp.

''Straight to the point, Whiskers... I want money,'' Olivia/Cassandra said.

''The Sisterhood is a charity. We don't give money. We only... accept.''

''The Humans across the water pay you a fortune,'' Olivia/Cassandra said, ''And that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment. That's all I want... oh, and perhaps a yacht. In return for which, I shall tell the City nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?''

''I'm afraid not,'' Casp said as Jatt pressed a few buttons on a remote.

''I'd really advise you to think about this,'' Olivia/Cassandra said.

''There's no need. I have to decline.''

''I'll tell them! And you've no way of stopping me! You're not exactly Nuns with Guns! You're not even armed!''

''Who needs arms when we have claws?'' Casp hissed, her claws shooting out of her fingers.

''Well, nice try,'' Olivia/Cassandra said, turning to Chip, who was waiting nearby, ''Chip? Plan B!''

Chip pulled a lever and every cell door swung open. The Doctor shoved Jimmy forward before stepping out himself. The infected patients all began to leave their cells.

''What've you done?'' he asked Olivia/Cassandra.

''Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up. See ya!'' She ran off.

''Don't touch them!'' the Doctor called to the cat nurses as he and Jimmy ran off after Cassandra and Chip.

Cassandra screamed as cell locks exploded through the corridor and the doors swung open. The Doctor, Olivia/Cassandra, Chip and Jimmy stopped as they watched every single cell door open and the infected patients step out.

''Oh, my God,'' Olivia/Cassandra breathed.

''What have you done?'' the Doctor spat.

''It wasn't me!'' Olivia/Cassandra protested.

''We've got to go down!'' the Doctor said.

''But there's thousands of them!'' Olivia/Cassandra argued.

''NOW!'' the Doctor shouted. Olivia/Cassandra shuddered at his voice and started to run down the stairs.

''This building is under quarantine,'' the tannoy announced, ''Repeat: this building is under quarantine. No one may leave the premises. Repeat: ... no one may leave the premises.''

''Keep going! Go down!'' the Doctor urged. They finally reached the basement. Olivia/Cassandra went for the lifts, ''No, the lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine, nothing's moving.''

''This way!'' Olivia/Cassandra called, the Doctor and Jimmy following. Chip was left behind. The Doctor moved to go back for him.

''Leave him!'' Olivia/Cassandra said, ''He's just a clone thing, he's only got a half life. Come on!''

''Mistress!'' Chip called as they left, ''My Mistress!''

They burst into the room where Cassandra had hidden herself. Jimmy closed the door behind them while while Olivia/Cassandra went for the one in front, only to find more infected humans on the other side.

''We're trapped!'' Olivia/Cassandra huffed, ''What're we going to do?''

''First,'' Jimmy said slowly, ''You're gonna get the hell out of Liv's body!''

''That psychograft is banned on every civilized planet!'' the Doctor added, ''You're compressing Olivia to death.''

''But I've got nowhere to go,'' Olivia/Cassandra countered, ''My original skin's dead.''

''Not my problem,'' the Doctor replied, ''You can float as atoms in the air. Now, get out.''

''Get. Out. Of. Her,'' Jimmy said, stepping forward menacingly.

''You asked for it,'' Cassandra said, as a cloud of energy seeped from Olivia's body into Jimmy's.


	3. New Earth part 3

''Oh God,'' Olivia exclaimed, disorientated.

''Oh, my...'' Cassandra/Jimmy said, ''This is... different.''

''Cassandra...'' the Doctor said, glaring at her.

''Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum!'' Cassandra/Jimmy laughed, ''So many parts! And hardly used...''

''Get out of him, Cassandra,'' Olivia ordered.

''Hold on,'' Cassandra said, examining Jimmy's arms and torso, ''The boy was a twig the last time I saw him. Now he's... built. Macho even,'' she looked smugly at Olivia, ''You've thought so too. I've been inside your head...'' Olivia went bright red at Cassandra's implication, ''You've been looking... you like it.'' Olivia could only stare with her mouth wide open.

Suddenly, the infected humans burst through the door, ''We don't have time for this nonsense,'' the Doctor spat, pointing at a ladder and looking at Cassandra, ''Up, now!''

Cassandra/Jimmy looked unnerved but did as she was told, Olivia and the Doctor following.

''God, it was tedious inside your head,'' Cassandra/Jimmy taunted Olivia as they climbed, ''Hormone City!''

Olivia screamed as Matron Casp grabbed her foot, ''Get off me!'' she screamed.

''All our good work! All that healing!'' Casp snarled, ''The good name of the Sisterhood! You have destroyed everything!''

''Go and play with a ball of string!'' Jimmy/Cassandra jeered.

''Everywhere, disease!'' Casp raged, ''This is the Human World. Sickness!'' An infected human touched her, causing her to break out into boils. In her shock, she let go of both Olivia's foot and the ladder.

''Move!'' the Doctor ordered Cassandra/Jimmy as the infected humans continued to follow them up the shaft. They got to the top only to find the doors were sealed.

''Now what do we do?'' Cassandra/Jimmy questioned.

''Use the sonic!'' Olivia told the Doctor.

''I can't reach from here,'' the Doctor, who was below Cassandra/Jimmy said, ''Cassandra has to do it.'' He handed the screwdriver to her.

''How do you use this thing?'' Cassandra asked.

''Jimmy should know!'' Olivia said.

''It's such an obscure thought!'' Cassandra replied.

''Go into me!'' Olivia said. Cassandra did so.

''Ah, blondie again!'' Cassandra cheered, before looking up at Jimmy, ''Open it!''

''Get out of her!'' Jimmy ordered.

''You've got to open the door!'' Cassandra panicked.

''GET OUT!'' Jimmy ordered. Cassandra tried something new. She leapt into the Doctor.

''Oh, goodness me!'' Cassandra said, ''Another macho man! I'm having a field day!''

''Not into him!'' Jimmy shouted.

''Well, where else?'' Cassandra questioned.

''Think about it...'' Olivia said, pointing downwards.

''Oh, I am so gonna regret this...'' Cassandra muttered, before blasting her essence into one of the infected people, ''Oh, sweet Lord... I look disgusting.''

Jimmy got the doors open, and the three jumped through. The Doctor snatched the sonic and tried to seal Cassandra away, but she managed to blast her essence through and back into Olivia, who fell to the ground.

''Cassandra,'' the Doctor whispered threateningly, ''I'm beginning to find this tedious.''

''Inside her head... they're so alone...'' Cassandra/Olivia said, ''They keep reaching out, just to hold us... all their lives and they've never been touched.''

The Doctor and Jimmy walked on, Cassandra/Olivia following. The Doctor opened a door with the screwdriver, which led them onto Ward 26, where Frau Clovis charged at them with a chair.

''Stop there, you fool!'' the Doctor spat, showing her his hands, ''If we'd been touched, do you think we'd look like this?'' Frau dropped the chair sheepishly.

''There's nothing but silence from the other wards,'' Frau said, working on a handheld device, ''I think we're the only ones left. And I've been trying to override the quarantine. If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad.''

''Don't even think about it!'' the Doctor said, ''If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine. We are not to let a single particle of disease escape. Am I clear?''

''I am not dying in here!'' Frau protested.

''Turn. It. Off,'' the Doctor ordered.

''Not if it gets me out,'' Frau countered. The Doctor snatched the device from her and stomped it to the ground.

''Right, here's what we do,'' the Doctor began, ''Everybody get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!'' The Doctor attached a rope to himself, and Olivia/Cassandra attached the various serums to it. The Doctor got the lift open with the sonic screwdriver.

''The lift's ain't working,'' Jimmy said.

''Not moving. Different thing,'' the Doctor countered, leaping into the lift shaft and grabbing the rope at the center.

''What do you think you're doing?!'' Cassandra/Olivia asked as the Doctor fixed a wench onto the rope.

''I'm going down!'' the Doctor said.

''I'm coming with you, Jimmy told him, jumping on.

''Come on!'' the Doctor said to Cassandra/Olivia.

''Not in a million years!'' Cassandra/Olivia scoffed.

''If you're so desperate to stay alive... why don't you live a little?'' the Doctor countered. More infected humans burst through into the room. Cassandra/Olivia moaned and ran into the shaft, jumping onto Jimmy's back. She felt his formidable physique.

''I can why she likes you..'' she whispered into Jimmy's ear, making him go bright red.

''Going down!'' the Doctor announced. The wench sped down the shaft. The Doctor and Jimmy cheered while Cassandra/Olivia screamed.

''Well, that's one way to lose weight,'' Cassandra/Olivia muttered.

''Jimmy, when I say so, take hold of that lever,'' the Doctor ordered.

''There's still a quarantine down there, we can't-'' Cassandra began.

''Shut up Cassandra,'' the Doctor said, before pouring each serum into some kind if container, ''Now, that lever's going to resist. But keep it in position. Hold onto it with everything you've got.''

''What about you?'' Cassandra/Olivia asked. The Doctor ignored her and jumped through a trapdoor into the lift. He opened the door with the screwdriver to find the infected humans on the other side.

''I'm in here, come on!'' he called to them.

''Don't tell them!'' Cassandra/Olivia protested.

''SHUT UP!'' the Doctor ordered, before looking at the infected humans, ''Come and get me, come on! I'm in here, come on!''

''Commence stage one – disinfection,'' the tannoy announced. The lift began to pour the Doctor's cocktail into the lift, soaking him and also the infected who entered the lift. The Doctor watched as they became cured of their disease, and began to pass these cures to other infected.

''Pass it on!'' the Doctor cheered.

''What did they pass on?'' Jimmy asked as he and Cassandra/Olivia jumped down into the lift.

''Did you kill them? All of them?'' Cassandra/Olivia asked.

''No!'' the Doctor exclaimed, exasperated with her now,' 'I cured them!'' One woman came up to him and hugged him, making him look slightly uncomfortable as he hated physical contact, ''It's a new sub-species!'' he explained as the woman let go, ''A brand new form of life! New Humans!''

He smiled as the new humans observed their surroundings.

* * *

A short while later, the police had arrived.

''All staff will present themselves to the officers for immediate arrest,'' the tannoy announced, ''I repeat - immediate arrest. All new life forms will be catalogued and taken into care. All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD.''

''The Face of Boe!'' the Doctor remembered, running over the Face, who looked much healthier, ''I thought you were dying?''

''There are better things to do today. Dying can wait,'' the Face replied.

''Oh, I hate telepathy,'' Cassandra/Olivia said, ''Just what I need, a head full of big face.''

''If I have to tell you to shut up one more time...'' the Doctor threatened.

''I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew,'' the Face said.

''Is it true that you're millions of years old?'' the Doctor asked softly.

''That would be impossible,'' the Face joked.

''I got the impression... there was something you wanted to tell me...'' the Doctor said.

''A great secret,'' the Face realised, ''It can wait.''

''Must it?'' the Doctor asked.

''We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time... for the last time... and the truth shall be told. Until that day...'' the Face said, before teleporting away.

''Right then,'' the Doctor said, turning to face Cassandra/Olivia, ''Time to get out.''

''But... everything's happy,'' she protested, ''Everything's fine... can't you just leave me?''

''No.''

''I don't want to die!'' she sobbed.

''I don't care,'' the Doctor replied.

''Mistress!'' Chip said, running into the room.

''A body,'' Cassandra realised, ''And not just that, a volunteer...''

''No, he's got his own life!'' the Doctor said.

''But I worship the mistress!'' Chip insisted, making Cassandra smile, ''I welcome her.''

Cassandra blasted her essence into Chip's body, making Olivia fall, only to be caught by Jimmy.

''You ok?'' he asked as he pulled her up.

''Y-yeah,'' she said, staring into Jimmy's eyes, and finally feeling Jimmy's physique for herself.

''Oh, sweet Lord. I'm a walking doodle,'' Cassandra/Chip said.

''Get out of him,'' the Doctor ordered, ''This has gone far enough.''

''Poor little Chip is only a half-life,'' Cassandra/Chip realised, ''And he's been through so much. His heart is racing so. He's failing. I don't think he's going to last-'' she collapsed to the ground, ''I'm dying. But that's fine. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You're right, Doctor. It's time to die. And that's good.'' The Doctor nodded solemnly, ''But first, can you do one last thing for me?''

* * *

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, followed by Jimmy, Olivia and Cassandra/Chip. It was the same party Olivia had seen in the projection.

''Thank you,'' Cassandra/Chip said to the Doctor.

''Just go,'' the Doctor said, nudging her onwards. The trio of time travellers watched as Cassandra/Chip told her past self she was beautiful, before Chip's body finally gave out, the younger Cassandra calling for help.

The time travellers stepped back into the TARDIS, the Doctor pausing for one last look.


	4. Missing part 1

''Okay, mum,'' Olivia said over the phone as she walked through the TARDIS corridor, ''See you. Love to Dad.''

''Alright Liv?'' Jimmy said as she stepped into the console room, where the Doctor was working.

''Doctor, we need to go home,'' Olivia said.

''Why?'' the Time Lord asked.

''Mum called. Said there's something I need to see. Didn't tell me what it was, but it's important.''

''Alright then,'' the Doctor sighed, setting the TARDIS to Earth. Once they arrived, Olivia stepped out, followed by Jimmy and then the Doctor.

''I'd better go and see mum,'' Olivia said, heading towards her house, ''See what all this is about.''

''Actually,'' Jimmy responded, having noticed something, ''I don't think you need to.''

''What is it?'' Olivia asked. Jimmy pointed at something pasted up on the wall. It was a missing poster displaying the words ''Have you seen this girl?'' The picture displayed a teenage girl of average height, with shoulder length blonde hair and a pair of glasses on her face.

''Oh my God,'' Olivia breathed, ''Alice is missing.''

* * *

''It's in the paper and everything,'' Molly Alison told Olivia, Jimmy and the Doctor as she showed them a cutting of a local newspaper from a few days ago.

''Maybe someone she picked on decided to get her back,'' Jimmy said, still hating Alice for how she treated him in the past.

''I wouldn't be surprised with that one,'' the Doctor said scornfully. The last time he and Alice met, she had accused him of being a peadophile, and given that his new personality was much more vindictive than the last, he certainly had nothing positive to think about Alice.

''Could you two shut up?'' Olivia asked, disgusted with their callous behaviour, ''I know you both don't like her, but she could be dead for god's sake.''

''Sorry,'' Jimmy muttered.

''Her poor parents are terrified,'' Molly told them.

''I might go pay them a visit,'' Olivia said, ''Maybe there's something I can do to help.''

''We could help,'' Jimmy suggested. The Doctor nodded in agreement.

''But you two hate her,'' Olivia countered.

''Just because I hate someone doesn't mean I want them dead,'' the Doctor said, ''If there's something I can do to help than I'm duty bound to do it.''

''McGowan's a bitch,'' Jimmy explained, ''But I don't want her dead either.''

''Alright then, me and you, Jimmy,'' Olivia ordered. Jimmy stood up and the two teenagers left the house.

''Do you mind if I use your computer?'' the Doctor asked.

''Go ahead,'' Molly said softly. The Doctor had some idea as to how to help.

* * *

Jimmy and Olivia neared Alice's home. It was a fairly large house. Olivia knew Alice was well off. Her father owned a family business dating back almost a hundred years, while her mother was a banker in the city. Olivia rang the doorbell, and a few moments later a woman in her mid thirties opened the door. She looked very similar to Alice. Indeed, if it wasn't for the fact that the woman's hair was dark instead of blonde and she did not wear glasses, Jimmy would have thought this was an older Alice McGowan. Olivia recognised the woman as Alice's mother, Rachel.

''Hi Olivia,'' Rachel murmured, ''Who's this?''

''This is Jimmy,'' Olivia said. Jimmy nodded at the woman, who smiled sadly.

''Come in,'' Rachel said.

* * *

''So when did it happen?'' Olivia asked as Rachel sat them down.

''She went out for a bit of shopping,'' Rachel recalled, ''And then she didn't turn up even late at night. We tried calling her but there was no answer. We tried and tried but there was nothing.''

''And how long ago was this?''

''Five days ago,'' Alice's father, Thomas, said. He was of similar age to Rachel. He was skinny with a mop of blonde hair and glasses, though he preferred simple frames as opposed to the extravagant designer ones favoured by his daughter. He was a fairly handsome man. Olivia could see why a woman as gorgeous as Rachel would go for him.

''So what did you do then?'' Olivia asked.

''We informed the police,'' Rachel said, ''They put out alerts. We put up missing posters, we even had an interview with the local newspaper.''

''But no sign of her?'' Jimmy asked.

''Nothing,'' Thomas sighed, flopping onto the sofa. Rachel snuggled up to him and he put his arms around her protectively, as though not wanting to lose her too.

''I just want my little girl back,'' Rachel whispered, voice cracking.

''We've got this friend,'' Jimmy told them, ''He's good with this kind of stuff. We can get him working on it.''

''I hope he's as good as you say,'' Thomas murmured.

''You said Alice was last seen going out shopping, yeah?'' Olivia asked, making Rachel and Thomas nod, ''Right,'' she muttered, taking out her phone and calling her home.

''Hello,'' Molly answered.

''Hi Mum,'' Olivia replied, ''Is the Doctor still there?''

''Yes he is,'' she replied, ''Do you want to speak to him?''

''Yeah,'' Olivia said.

''Hello,'' the Doctor said as Molly passed him the phone.

''Doctor, what are you doing?''

''I hacked into CCTV records for the local area,'' the Doctor explained, ''If I can find out where Alice was last seen, I can find out what happened to her next. In theory, I could use the TARDIS to go to that exact moment and watch from afar to see what happens, provided I don't get involved with the timeline.''

''Good idea, Doctor!'' Olivia said, ''Do that, and give us a call if you find anything.'' She ended the call.

''Our friend's working on it,'' Olivia promised, ''We've just got to give him time.

''Thank you,'' Thomas said.

''We've gotta go,'' Jimmy began to make for the door. They stepped out and waved goodbye to Rachel and Thomas.

* * *

''Glad you didn't tell them your second name was Greaver,'' Olivia said to Jimmy as they walked down, ''They would have remembered who you are.''

''What do you mean?'' Jimmy asked.

''She's got you into trouble before,'' Olivia recalled, ''She told them that you broke her glasses once, and what about that time you unloaded a fire extinguisher on her!''

Jimmy laughed at that memory

* * *

 _It was a warm summer's day in early July, and only a few weeks were left of the school year. The head teacher had called a non-uniform day. This meant that Jimmy was forced to wear the cheap, poor quality clothing he wore at home, which drew mockery from most people at school. Jimmy had few friends, but the small group generally stuck together. It was Jimmy, a girl called Emma Ciston, a boy called Ronald Blacksmith, and the fourth member of the group, a small, timid boy called Maurice Raymond. Emma was probably Alice's favourite target for bullying, due to her size. She was not in fact unhealthily overweight, but given that she was generally unconfrontational, Alice could get away with ''fat jokes'' towards her._

 _During lunch break, Jimmy's group all grabbed something to eat, before heading to a classroom to chill out. Unfortunately, Alice and her group of girls arrived not too long after, but thankfully did not disturb Jimmy's group at first. As Jimmy and his friends talked and ate, Alice snuck up behind Emma and snatched her food out of her hands._

 _''Isn't it time to lose some weight?'' Alice jeered, making her friends laugh._

 _''Leave it out, McGowan,'' Jimmy said, ''Give her food back!''_

 _''You should listen to him, Al,'' said Meera Patel, a pretty Indian girl who was friends with Alice, ''Emma might eat us if we don't.'' Olivia cringed at this, though she tried to maintain the appearance of laughing._

 _Alice walked out into the corridor, still holding Emma's food and smirking._

 _''I said, give it back, McGowan!'' Jimmy ordered._

 _''Make me, Greaver!'' Alice replied, ''Gonna hit a girl?''_

 _''Shut up, McGowan!'' Emma shouted, ''Why can't you lot just leave us alone?''_

 _''Sorry,'' Alice replied, a sadistic smile on her face, ''I couldn't hear you over the ground rumbling as you walk.''_

 _''Just go away, McGowan,'' Maurice pleaded._

 _''Aww, Maurice,'' Alice mocked, doing an impression of his high pitched voice and small height. He was even shorter than Alice, ''Did we hurt fat fweind's feelings?''_

 _''Just go,'' Jimmy pleaded._

 _''But we're having so much fun!'' Alice responded, ''Besides, we're doing her a favour. She's gotta lose weight somehow.'' Emma looked as though she were about to cry._

 _''I feel sorry for your mum'' Alice continued, ''I bet all the food in your house goes to you. Unless you ate your family!''_

 _At this, Emma snapped and grabbed a fire extinguisher nearby. She raised the heavy extinguisher above Alice and was about to smash it against her head. Alice whimpered loudly. Jimmy grabbed the extinguisher just in time._

 _''Leave it, Emma,'' he pleaded, ''McGowan's not worth it.''_

 _Emma let go reluctantly. Jimmy lowered the extinguisher, before thinking of something. He had stopped Emma because such a blow to Alice's head would likely kill her. However, Jimmy then grabbed the pipe of the extinguisher and sprayed it all over Alice, who screamed. Jimmy did not stop until it was completely empty._

 _Alice was now covered in white foam. Given that it was a non-uniform day, Alice was dressed head to toe in expensive designer clothing, which was now ruined. Alice wiped the foam off her face and glasses, before taking a look at herself. She saw the state of her clothes, not to mention her hair, and started to sob loudly before storming off, Olivia and the other girls following._

 _''Yeah, don't come back!'' Jimmy cheered._

* * *

Even Olivia had to laugh at that memory, ''She had to spent the rest of the day in a boy's tracksuit and t-shirt,'' she recalled.

''Served her right!''

''She spent about 20 minutes crying.''

''She deserved it,'' Jimmy insisted, ''I still don't know how you could be friends with someone like that.''

''I don't know,'' Olivia sighed, ''It's just... If I said something, she'd turn on me, and the rest of them would as well. She'd start picking on me, too.''

''I don't blame you, Liv,'' Jimmy said honestly.

Suddenly, Olivia's phone rang. It was the Doctor.

''Hello,'' Olivia said.

''Olivia, I've found something odd,'' the Doctor said, ''I need you two back here now.''

* * *

 **Another ''original'' story for you guys. We'll be going back to ''Tooth and Claw'' after this one, though. Please review and say what you think! I hope you liked the flashback!**


	5. Missing part 2

''Doctor, what's going on?'' Jimmy asked as he and Olivia got back to the house.

''Look at this,'' the Doctor said, bringing up CCTV footage of the local shopping centre, ''This is five days ago, and look at this,'' he pointed to footage of Alice walking through.

''It's Alice!'' Olivia said.

''Exactly, and look what happens to her now,'' he said, showing footage of Alice stepping into a lift.

''Does that lift have CCTV?'' Jimmy asked.

''Yes, but look,'' the Doctor said, he brought up footage of the lift, with Alice inside, until, a second later, she just...disappeared.

''What the hell?'' Olivia said.

''Look at the time,'' the Doctor ordered, it turned out that the footage was missing an entire minute, which was seemingly when Alice disappeared, ''The records didn't disappear. It was simply never filmed to begin with. Something interfered with the camera to prevent it filming anything.''

''But what?'' Olivia asked.

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted.

''Which lift was that?'' Jimmy asked, ''There are three of them.''

''That's the middle one,'' the Doctor told him.

''Something took her inside the lift?'' Olivia suggested.

''It's a possibility,'' the Doctor sighed, ''We can't rule out everything.''

''So what're we gonna do?'' Jimmy asked.

''For now,'' the Doctor began, ''We're going to keep watching that lift. The shopping centre's closing soon, so perhaps whatever it is might come out to play.''

''That's your plan?'' Olivia scoffed, ''You're gonna watch a lift?''

''Do you have a better idea?'' the Doctor questioned. Olivia realised that she did not.

Jimmy flopped into a chair in front of the computer, preparing to watch the footage.

* * *

The next morning, Olivia awoke to find herself on the sofa, where she had fallen asleep after watching the footage until late. She was still in her clothes and shoes. Jimmy, meanwhile, seemed to be asleep on the floor.

''Jimmy!'' Olivia called, jolting him awake.

''What?'' Jimmy asked sleepily.

''Wake up!'' she shouted. Jimmy reluctantly sat up.

''Where's the Doctor?'' he asked.

''Must have gone back to the TARDIS,'' she said, ''You know he wouldn't just hang around.''

''The footage!'' Jimmy remembered, noticing the computer that was still on.

''We must have missed about 8 hours worth!'' Olivia realised.

''I have an idea,'' Jimmy said. He rewound the footage at a fast speed, showing... nothing.

''Well that was a waste!'' Olivia huffed, ''Nothing happened all night,'' she looked around, ''Lets go back to the TARDIS.''

''Fine,'' Jimmy sighed, annoyed that they were getting nowhere.

* * *

Jimmy unlocked the TARDIS door and let them in. The Doctor was inside the console room working away.

''What are you doing, Doc?'' Jimmy asked.

''Just checking some old cases,'' the Time Lord explained.

''Right, I look a state,'' Olivia said, ''I'm going for a shower.'' She headed off to her room.

* * *

Around half an hour later, Olivia returned to console room having freshened up. She was also now wearing a fresh set of clothing, having opted for a smart combination of white blouse and black skirt knee length skirt, with tights and black shoes. Jimmy thought she looked gorgeous. However, he was unable to dwell on that thought for too long, as the Doctor provided a distraction.

''Look at this,'' the Doctor said, ''Police reports from earlier this morning. A Mr Robert Stewart. Disappeared about 200 miles north from here.''

''And you think they're related?'' Olivia questioned.

''I do,'' the Doctor said, ''Look at this,'' he brought up CCTV footage of the man entering a photo booth and shutting the curtains. He did not come out.

''What happened?'' Jimmy wondered.

''No idea, but I'm going to find out,'' the Doctor said.

''How?'' both teenagers asked.

''Like this,'' the Doctor said, setting the TARDIS into flight. Once it landed, the Doctor brought up the scanner, showing what appeared to be an ordinary street.

''Where are we?'' Jimmy asked.

''Take a look,'' the Doctor said, pointing at the screen, which showed a man, presumably Robert Stewart, stepping into the photo booth.

''Hold on,'' Olivia said, ''You took us back in time?''

The Doctor nodded, ''This is yesterday evening,'' he continued to stare at the screen, until suddenly, the photo booth glowed brightly for a second. None of the people in the street seemed to notice.

''How could they not notice that?'' Jimmy asked.

''Because they couldn't see it,'' the Doctor explained, ''I set the TARDIS to be able to scan for any kind of energy.''

''So what, was he vaporised of something?'' Jimmy asked.

''I don't think so,'' the Doctor replied, ''But there's something else I need to check before I make a judgement,'' he set the TARDIS off once more.

''Where are we going now?'' Olivia asked.

''We're going to see what happened to Alice in that lift,'' the Doctor replied. The TARDIS landed, and the Doctor looked at the scanner. They saw Alice walking past and towards the lift.

''Can't we just go out and stop her going in?'' Olivia asked.

''No,'' the Doctor replied, ''We've seen her going in. If she doesn't, then that means history's changed. It'll cause a paradox. Nasty stuff.''

''I'll pretend I actually understood any of that,'' Olivia muttered. They turned back to the screen. Sure enough, Alice stepped into the lift. After a few seconds, there was another spike of energy around the lift doors.

''Do you know what that energy is?'' the Doctor asked. His companions shook their heads, ''I think it's a transmat system. Just like on the Game Station. Last night I went through several missing person cases from the past few years. All of them involved an enclosed space with a sudden transmat beam. That's why the camera didn't record Alice being taken. Whoever did this wired the camera to shut off as soon as the transmat activates.''

''But where's it going?'' Jimmy asked.

''Let's see,'' the Doctor said. He launched into a scan of the orbit around the Earth. They all noticed something seemingly flashing.

''What's that?'' Olivia asked.

''Something in orbit.''

''And you think that's where those people are ending up?'' Jimmy asked.

''Maybe,'' the Doctor responded.

''Well, we've gotta get up there!'' Olivia said.

''That's where we're going,'' the Doctor replied, setting the TARDIS into flight.

''What're we gonna do when we get there?'' Jimmy asked.

''Explore? See what exactly happens to all those people.''

''And what if whatever's up there tries to kill us?'' Olivia pointed out.

''Then I... think of something,'' the Doctor replied. Both his friends raised an eyebrow at this. The TARDIS came to a halt, and the three stepped out into what appeared to be a dimly lit storage hold. There were many crates and containers around them.

''Lets look around,'' Jimmy said, ''See if Alice here.''

The three time travellers stepped out of the storage hold quietly into a spacious, but equally dimly lit room. There were three different doors which all led to corridors.

''Split up,'' the Doctor said. The two humans nodded, and the three each stepped into a door of their own.

* * *

Olivia walked through the corridor as quietly as he could. She came to a room and crouched down to see what was inside., and inside was a creature with two long tendrils going down each side and wearing black battle armour. There were two screens in the room, one of which displayed another alien, and the other displayed... Alice! Alice had some kind of headgear fixed to the back of her head. Alice was staring at the alien in the first screen. This meant that the first screen was from Alice's vision, while the second was just a link to another room.

''Commence specimen testing,'' the alien on the screen said. The alien in the room, who was wearing a similar headset to what Alice was wearing, did a ninety degree turn. Alice did the same. The creature then turned in the other direction, making Olivia scramble away to avoid being seen. Alice repeated the creature's movements perfectly.

''Analyse physical condition,'' the creature in the room ordered. The creature on the screen once again stood in front of Alice, and Olivia saw on the second screen that it was scanning her.

''Physical condition is satisfactory,'' the creature replied, ''Physical fitness may require slight improvement. Physical strength is minimal.''

''Other physical conditions?'' the creature in the room asked.

''Brain activity is normal,'' the creature on the screen reported, before looking at Alice's glasses, ''However, specimen requires vision correction. May be problematic.''

''To what extent is vision correction required?''

''Lets find out.'' The creature removed Alice's glasses from her face, and Olivia watched as the visuals on the first screen became very blurred.

''Specimen suffers from high myopia,'' the first alien said, ''Loss of vision correction would impede it. This specimen is of little use to the war effort.''

''Reject?''

''Transmat specimen to reject stock,'' the first creature said. The second creature removed the headgear from Alice, who collapsed, before the first alien hit a button. A beam of light shot down from above, hitting Alice and causing her to disappear.

* * *

Jimmy had found his way through the corridor into another vast room. The room contained hundreds of metal beds, each with a number on the end. Hundreds of people lay on the beds dressed in some kind of white jumpsuit, heads plugged into some kind of port, which hummed. Only one bed was empty, and that was numbered 031.

Jimmy heard a _zap_ and saw bright flash of light. Suddenly, Alice lay in bed 031, head plugged into the metal port. Jimmy ran over to bed 031.

''McGowan, can you hear me?'' he asked. He prodded the blonde's shoulder, but there was no response. He saw a lever attached to the metal port. It had three settings: 'Sleep', 'Semi Conscious', and 'Full Conscious'. It was currently on 'sleep' setting. Jimmy grabbed the lever and yanked it down to 'Full Conscious'. The port opened up, releasing Alice's head.

Alice moaned groggily. At home, she had a small nightstand to the left of her bed where she kept her glasses. Instinctively, she reached out to the left, and was surprised to find her glasses and the nightstand were not there. She sat up and looked around. This was clearly not her room.

Alice was about to scream, but Jimmy quickly quickly put his hand over her mouth, ''Don't scream,'' he ordered, ''They'll find out we're here.''

''Greaver?'' Alice asked. She couldn't quite make out his face but his voice was instantly recognisable, ''Where are we?''

''I don't quite know,'' Jimmy admitted, ''But I promise, I will get you out of here. Believe me?''

Alice nodded.

''Come on,'' Jimmy said, holding out his hand to her. She took it, and he pulled her up, off the bed.

''How did I get here?'' Alice wondered as she and Jimmy walked, ''And the what the hell am I wearing?'' she looked at the white jumpsuit in disgust.

''Just keep quiet,'' Jimmy said exasperatedly.

''Of all the people I could have got fucking stuck with, it was _Greaver_ of all people,'' Alice muttered, making a nasty face. Jimmy just shook his head.

''This way,'' Jimmy said, leading Alice into another corridor.

''My feet are cold,'' Alice whined. As well as the white jumpsuit, Alice was barefoot, and walking on the cold metal floor, ''And I can't see. It's all blurry, I need my glasses.''

''We don't always get what we want, McGowan,'' Jimmy sighed as they kept walking.

* * *

 **I managed to get part 2 done in time to post it today. Hope you guys like this original story so far. Please leave a review and say what you think.**


	6. Missing part 3

The Doctor carefully navigated his way through the corridor. There were a variety of propaganda symbols all around. Apparently this was some kind of battle ship. He saw a sign which read 'Conscripts' and pointed him to the right. He followed. After several minutes, he arrived in a vast room full of people laying on beds, dressed in black jumpsuits. At the end of the room was a large door, seemingly some kind of docking station.

''What's going on here?'' the Doctor wondered, before noticing a computer nearby and trying to get into it with the sonic. It took several minutes, but eventually, he was able to break through. He found out what was happening. The creatures, the Scantari, had been at war for over a thousand years, and at this point they were losing badly. It was a war that they themselves had provoked in their desperate desire for conquest. In desperate need for reinforcements, they had turned to ''conscripting'' humans by kidnapping them. Getting a human into an enclosed space and then transmatting them into the ship. Humans deemed able to fight were sent out to war, while ''reject stock'' were incinerated. The Scantari had developed technology which allowed them to control humans and make them mimic their movements. Apparently this had been going on for years.

* * *

''We've been walking around for ages!'' Alice whined.

''Shut up!'' Jimmy shouted.

''Sure we're not walking around in circles?'' Alice questioned.

''Could you just keep quiet?''

''I don't wanna be here,'' Alice spat, ''Especially not with you.''

''God, how do your parents put up with you?'' Jimmy asked.

''Probably a lot better than yours put up with you,'' Alice replied smugly.

''Oh yeah,'' Jimmy said, ''Cos you're mummy and daddy's little angel, aren't you! They give you everything you want!''

''Jealous?'' Alice smirked.

''No, I'm not,'' Jimmy spat, ''But I'll tell you what. Mummy and Daddy aren't here, and unless you start behaving yourself, they will never see their little angel again.''

''Fine,'' Alice replied, folding her arms petulantly. Jimmy continued walking, only to hear a whimper from behind.

''Oh, what is it now?'' Jimmy sighed, whirling around, only to see Alice being held by a creature, who was pointing a gun at her head.

''Make a single move, boy,'' the creature rasped, ''And I will blast her head off.''

Alice sobbed as the creature shook her violently.

* * *

Olivia made her way back into the main room. She had seen all that she needed to and needed to find the Doctor and Jimmy. As she tiptoed through she found herself knocked to the ground. She saw the alien from the room staring down at her.

''Humans,'' it sneered, ''Think themselves capable of deceiving us. You honestly believe I didn't notice you watching?'' It grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up, marching her through the corridor the Doctor had gone through. They eventually reached a room which seemed to be the bridge of the spacecraft. Jimmy and Alice sat there in some kind of cell. The creature opened the door and shoved her inside. She flopped down next to Jimmy.

''You OK?'' Jimmy asked softly. Olivia nodded and smiled.

''Well, isn't this nice!'' Alice muttered spitefully.

''Alice, just keep quiet,'' Olivia replied. Alice looked taken aback. Olivia had never spoken to her like that.

''Aww, Greaver and Liv!'' Alice jeered.

''What're we gonna do?'' Jimmy asked. Olivia shrugged her shoulders.

''I don't understand,'' Alice said, ''How did we get here?''

''They want humans for some kind of war,'' Olivia replied, recalling the aliens talking when Alice was being tested.

''I'm not fighting in their stupid war,'' Alice muttered.

''I don't think you get a choice,'' Jimmy replied.

''She was rejected anyway,'' Olivia said.

''What do mean, rejected?'' Alice wondered.

''They sent you back to reject stock.''

''That must have been where I found her,'' Jimmy recalled.

''We will get you home,'' Olivia promised Alice, ''Our friend'll do it.''

''Hold on,'' Alice began, a nasty smirk appearing on her face, ''Is that the peado with the big ears?''

''DON'T!'' Jimmy said, wanting her to shut up.

''Leave him alone,'' Olivia said, ''He's a good bloke.''

''I'm sure he is!'' Alice jeered, ''I bet the three of you have a lot of fun!''

''Do you know what you are, McGowan?'' Jimmy asked, ''You're a spoiled little brat who's never been told ''no''. You think just 'cos you're pretty and smart you get to do and say whatever you want. You need to come down to reality.''

''Ooh, the dog's biting back!'' Alice mocked, before looking at Olivia, ''The bitch should calm him down.''

Olivia stood up and slapped Alice across the face, leaving a nasty red mark on her cheek. Alice looked as though she were about to cry.

''Keep your mouth shut,'' Olivia spat.

Suddenly, an alarm blared out.

''What is going on?'' one of the aliens said as it ran in. It typed a command in and brought up a projection. It was the Doctor in a room very similar to the one Jimmy had found Alice in, albeit the unconscious people were wearing black and there was a large door at the back. The Doctor was typing away at a computer, and as he did so the humans were being transmatted away.

''Another intruder,'' the alien shouted as the unconscious humans continued to be transported away, ''Go to docking station, bring the intruder here,'' it said into it's communication device.

* * *

It had taken a while, but the Doctor had managed to transmat all the humans waiting for transport to Scantor back to Earth. However, he knew there were still many awaiting incineration. He needed to save them. He began to move out of the room, only for one of the Scantari to arrive.

''Stop this,'' he warned the creature, ''Earth plays no part in your war. Send the humans back and return to your battle field.''

''The humans are our military force,'' the creature replied, ''Through them, we have turned the tide of the war. We shall be victorious.''

''Leave them,'' the Doctor implored. The alien, who was much taller than the Doctor, rammed it's shoulder into the Time Lord's face, knocking him out. It picked him up and carried him to the 'reject stock' facility.

* * *

Jimmy, Olivia and Alice watched as the Doctor was carried off.

''Where are you taking him?'' Jimmy asked the creature.

''You're about to find out,'' the alien replied, hitting a button. Suddenly, transmat beams shot down and blasted the three to the 'reject stock' room.

''Why are we here again?'' Alice questioned.

''We're reject stock,'' Jimmy replied, running up to the Doctor's unconscious form, ''Doc, are you alright.'' The Time Lord mumbled something as he started to awake. Jimmy helped him up.

''Doctor, what're we gonna do about all these people?'' Olivia asked.

''They're reject stock,'' the Doctor replied grimly, ''They're going to be incinerated.''

''They were gonna burn me?'' Alice asked in horror.

''Oh yes,'' the Doctor said sarcastically, ''Because it's about you! Never mind all the other people here about to be burned, but God forbid it happens to Alice!''

''Doctor,'' Jimmy began, ''Are all these people getting sent to the incinerator?''

''Oh, Jimmy,'' the Doctor murmured, taking a look at the walls, roof and floor of the room, they were constructed of an alien metal designed to withstand extreme temperatures, ''They aren't being sent to the incinerator. We're in the incinerator.''

Suddenly, the room began to light up a deathly red light.

''What's happening?'' Alice questioned.

''Take a wild guess, you idiot!'' the Doctor spat.

''We're gonna burn!'' Olivia screamed as the temperature soured.

''Doc, get us out of here!'' Jimmy screamed. The Time Lord ran to a computer, and tried to hack in with the sonic screwdriver. It took around thirty seconds, but he managed to get in. He tried to use the transmat technology to send everyone down to Earth as he had before, but this time, the aliens had locked the system.

''They've locked it!'' the Doctor raged, ''We can't save them!''

''Forget them, what about us!'' Alice screamed.

''Keep quiet, you self centred bitch!'' Olivia shouted.

''Transmat only allows transport within the ship,'' the Doctor said as everyone began to burn.

''Within the ship,'' Olivia cried, drenched with sweat as the temperature continued to increase, ''Doctor, send them to the TARDIS!''

''Liv, you genius!'' Jimmy shouted, giving the girl a hug, which she gladly returned.

''I second that,'' the Doctor said, working away at the computer. He inputed the TARDIS coordinates, ''Transmat engaged,'' he cheered, hitting the button, and watching as all the white-clad humans disappeared in a beam of yellow light.

''You insolent man!'' the aliens had beamed down, ''We will tear and your friends apart.''

''Doctor!'' Jimmy groaned. The intense heat was making the humans feel unwell. The Doctor prepared four more transmat beams to shoot down from the roof, but not before typing another command into the computer.

''Goodbye Scantari,'' the Doctor spat, ''Good luck in the war.'' The beams shot down and sent the Doctor, Jimmy, Olivia and Alice onto the TARDIS, and the console room was filled with dazed humans.

''How did we get here?'' one asked.

''What is this place?'' asked another.

The Doctor ran to the console and set the TARDIS into flight. He materialised in orbit of Earth, not far from the Scantari ship. He watched from the scanner screen as the ship exploded.

''What did you do?'' Olivia asked.

''Before we left, I put in a command for the reactor core of the incinerator to explode outwards across the entire ship,'' he told her, before turning to the humans, ''Hello everyone, I'm the Doctor, and I'm going to take you home. He set the TARDIS to go to central London, where all the humans disembarked, now trying to find their own way home. After they had left, he asked Alice, ''Where's your address?''

''11 Crow Street, Streatham,'' Alice replied. The Doctor set the TARDIS to land there.

* * *

''Am I home?'' Alice asked as they landed. The Doctor nodded.

''I've got your glasses, by the way!'' Jimmy said, taking Alice's glasses out of his pocket and handing them to her. He had pickpocketed the Scantari as it had shoved he and Alice along. Alice did not bother to thank him. She simply placed her glasses back over her eyes and moved to walk out of the TARDIS.

''Wait,'' the Doctor said.

''What is it?'' Alice asked.

''I don't trust you,'' the Doctor told her, ''Someone of your personality would blab to everyone about what happened.''

''So what if I will?'' Alice questioned.

''I can't let that happen.''

''What're you trying to say?'' Alice said, growing frightened. The Doctor stepped towards her and placed his fingers over her temples. He closed his eyes and focused on Alice's mind, purging it of all memory of the past few days. Alice passed out and Jimmy caught her.

''What did you do?'' he asked.

''Wiped her memory of the past few days,'' the Doctor replied nonchalantly, ''She won't remember anything about the TARDIS or the aliens.''

''Now what?'' Olivia asked.

''We're outside her house,'' the Doctor sighed, before looking at Jimmy, who was holding Alice, ''Take her home.''

Jimmy carried Alice's unconscious form out of the TARDIS and into her garden. He set her down softly on her doorstep and ran off back into the TARDIS.

''Onwards?'' the Time Lord asked. The two humans nodded and the Doctor set the TARDIS into flight once more.

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed that original story. Please leave a review and say what you think. Next time, we're back for _Tooth and Claw!_**


	7. Tooth and Claw part 1

The Doctor was playing some music aboard the TARDIS, ''Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979,'' he told Olivia and Jimmy.

''70's music?'' Jimmy questioned. His grandfather, Anthony, had been a big fan of this sort of music.

''We could go see him live,'' Olivia suggested.

''Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979,'' the Doctor recalled, ''What do you think?''

''Go for it,'' Olivia said.

''Hold on!'' the Doctor called as the TARDIS hurtled through the vortex. The TARDIS stopped with such a force that they all fell to the ground. Jimmy and Olivia chuckled.

''Compose yourselves!'' the Doctor urged, heading out. Olivia and Jimmy followed. The three were greeted by soldiers pointing guns at them. They raised their arms in surrender, ''Bugger,'' the Doctor muttered, ''A hundred years early.''

''You will explain your presence,'' one of the soldiers ordered, before looking at Olivia, ''And the nakedness of this girl.''

Olivia, who was once again wearing a combination of blouse, skirt and tights, went bright red.

''Are we in Scotland?'' the Doctor questioned.

''How can you be ignorant of that?'' the soldier, clearly a captain, asked.

''I've been a bit ignorant,'' the Doctor replied, ''Me and my...'' he looked at Jimmy, ''Nephew were chasing this... naked child across the hill.''

''Thanks,'' Olivia muttered.

''Will you identify yourself, sir?''

''My name is Baron James McCrimmon of... Brixton. Commonly known as 'the Doctor'. This is James Greaver and Olivia Alison,'' the Doctor said, showing them his psychic paper. Jimmy gave him an odd look for this.

''Let them approach,'' a female voice called from a carriage ahaead.

''I don't think that's wise, ma'am,'' the captain argued.

''Let them approach,'' the voice insisted.

''You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference,'' the captain ordered. The Doctor nodded and the trio stepped forward. The carriage door opened to reveal non other than Queen Victoria.

''Jimmy, Olivia,'' the Doctor began, ''Might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith.''

''Doctor,'' the Queen said, ''May I see your credentials,'' the Doctor handed her the psychic paper, and the Queen's eyes widened at what she saw, ''Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector.''

''It does indeed,'' the Doctor replied, playing along, ''And may I ask, why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?''

''A tree on the line,''

''Accidental?''

''I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,'' Victoria replied, ''Everything around me tends to be planned.''

''An assassination attempt?''

''People wanna kill you?'' Olivia asked.

''I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun.''

''Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence,'' the Captain called from behind, ''We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow.''

''This Doctor and his... naked child will come with us.''

''I am so gonna kill you!'' Olivia grumbled to the Doctor.

''Yes, Ma'am,'' the Captain replied, ''We'd better get moving... it's almost nightfall.''

''Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts,'' Victoria noted, ''Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!''

The carriage started to move, with the Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia following behind. Jimmy nudged Olivia, ''We just met Queen Victoria!'' he laughed.

''I know!'' Olivia chuckled.

* * *

The carriage pulled up at a large house and Victoria stepped out. A man in a suit came outside to greet her.

''Your Majesty,'' the man said, bowing.

''Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency,'' Victoria replied, ''And how is Lady Isobel?''

''She's... indisposed, I'm afraid,'' Robert replied, ''She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on.''

The Doctor looked at Robert suspiciously. He clearly wanted the Queen away from here.

''Oh, not at all!'' the Queen said, ''I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is... charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?'' Robert did not seem enthusiastic, ''And please excuse the naked girl.''

''She's a feral child,'' the Doctor said, ''I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man.''

''Shall we proceed?'' the Queen asked. Robert nodded and they began to make their way into the house.

''Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the Property. Hurry up,'' the Captain called.

''Yes, sir,'' both soldiers said as one of them took a small wooden box from the carriage and carried it into the house.

''What's in there?'' the Doctor questioned.

''Property of the Crown,'' the Captain replied, ''You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir. The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions.''

''You heard the orders. Positions, sir.''

The Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia followed the Queen into the house.

* * *

Robert led the Doctor, Jimmy, Olivia, Victoria and a few of the household staff into a room that seemed to be some sort of observatory.

''This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour,'' Victoria remarked as she looked at what appeared to be a giant telescope.

''All my father's work,'' Robert replied, ''Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession - he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself.''

''May I?'' the Doctor said, looking at it.

''Help yourself,'' Robert replied.

''What did he model it on?'' the Doctor asked as he stepped forward.

''I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little... shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And listened to his stories.''

''I don't like it,'' the Doctor said, ''Too many prisms and the magnification's gone right to the top.''

''But the imagination of it should be applauded,'' Victoria remarked. She and the other humans looked appalled by the Doctor's rudeness.

''Didn't think you were one for stargazing,'' Jimmy said to Victoria.

''This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales.''

''Stars and magic...'' the Doctor mused.

''Oh, my late husband enjoyed Sir Robert's father's company. Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg. When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported.''

''Wolf?'' the Doctor questioned.

''It's just a story,'' Robert replied.

''Then tell it,'' the Doctor pressed.

Robert glanced back nervously at one of the staff behind him ''It's said that-''

''Excuse me, sir,'' the staff member cut in, ''Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark.''

''Of course. Yes, of course.''

''And then supper,'' Victoria said, ''And... could we find some clothes for Miss Alison? I'm tired of nakedness Sir Robert, your wife must've left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all... there is a full moon tonight.''

''So there is, Ma'am,'' Robert murmured. He bowed and the others left the room.

* * *

Olivia found a wardrobe and opened it, beginning the size the various items of clothing against herself. After trying various items and having no luck, she strode over to another wardrobe, yanking it open, only to be given a fright as she saw a young maid crouched inside.

''Are you OK?'' Olivia asked the young woman, who was panting, ''It's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you. Just step out of there.''

The woman reluctantly did so, sitting down onto the bed.

''They came through the house,'' the woman said, ''The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady.''

''Come with me,'' Olivia said, ''My friend can help you.''

''Oh, but I can't, Miss.''

''What's your name?'' Olivia questioned.

''Flora.''

''Flora, there's people downstairs who can help. Trust me.''

Olivia peered out of the room, and seeing that the coast was clear, gestured to Flora to follow her. They turned around the corner to find one of the guards, unconscious.

''Oh, Miss. I did warn you!'' Flora panicked. Olivia felt for a pulse. The man was alive. Suddenly, Olivia found herself and Flora grabbed and dragged away.

* * *

 **So that's the first chapter of ''Tooth and Claw'' folks. Hope you like! Please leave a review and say what you think.**


	8. Tooth and Claw part 2

''Your companion begs an apology, Doctor,'' the bald staff member, Father Angelo remarked, ''Her clothing has somewhat delayed her.''

''Don't worry about it,'' the Doctor murmured, before looking at Robert, ''You promised a tale of nightmares.''

''Indeed,'' Victoria agreed, ''Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction.''

''You must miss him,'' Jimmy noted.

''Very much,'' Victoria mused, ''Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the... hope of some contact with the great beyond. We all want some message from that place... it's the Creator's greatest mystery that we are allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent. And we must wait,'' she shrugged and looked at Robert, ''Come! Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters!''

* * *

Olivia and Flora were chained up along with several other people, one of whom was Robert's wife, Isabel. Opposite them was a cage in which a young man sat.

''Don't make a sound,'' Isabel warned, ''They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us.''

''He's just another prisoner though,'' Olivia replied.

''That creature is not mortal,'' Isabel said. The man raised his head and opened his eyes, which were completely black.

* * *

''The story goes back three hundred years,'' Robert explained, ''Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and... devoured.''

''Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves,'' the Captain dismissed, ''Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that.''

Victoria looked irritated at this interruption, as did the Doctor.

''But sometimes a child goes missing,'' Robert said, ''Once in a generation. A boy will vanish from his homestead.''

* * *

Olivia stood up to confront the black eyed man.

''Don't, child,'' Isabel warned.

''What are you?'' Olivia asked, getting as close as the chains would allow.

''Don't enrage him,'' the Steward implored.

''You're not human,'' Olivia realised, ''What species are you?''

''Ohhh... intelligence...,'' the creature rasped.

''Where are you from?''

''This body... ten miles away,'' it replied, ''A weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren for my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart.''

* * *

''Are there descriptions of the creature?'' the Doctor questioned.

''Oh yes, Doctor,'' Robert said, ''Drawings and woodcarvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal.''

''A werewolf?'' the Doctor questioned, intrigued.

* * *

''If that body isn't yours, then where are you from?'' Olivia asked.

''So far from home,'' it replied.

''I have a friend who can get you home,'' Olivia told the creature.

''Why would I leave this place?'' it scoffed, ''A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose.''

''How would you do that?''

''I would migrate to the Holy Monarch.''

''The Queen,'' Olivia realised.

''With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions...'' it lunged forward, making everyone move jerk back, ''Look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!''

''What?'' Olivia asked.

''The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you!''

''What do you mean?'' Olivia asked.

''You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon.''

* * *

''My father didn't treat it as a story,'' Robert recalled, ''He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast - to have learned its purpose. I should've listened. His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a Monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations.''

''Perhaps they thought his work ungodly,'' Victoria suggested. Jimmy noticed Father Angelo staring out of the window.

''That's what I thought,'' Robert mused, ''But now I wonder... what if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet?''

Jimmy alerted the Doctor to what Angelo was doing. He was chanting ''lupus deus est'' over and over again under his breath.

''And what if they were with us right now?'' the Doctor realised, standing up to face Angelo.

* * *

The doors burst open and the moonlight poured in. The creature rested it's head against the bars of it's cage.

''Moonlight...'' it intoned. It grabbed the bars of it's cage and shed it's cloak.

''Everyone pull!'' Olivia shouted, ''We've gotta get out of here! Everyone pull NOW!'' Everyone pulled against the chain, hoping to break it from the wall.

* * *

''What is the meaning of this?'' Victoria questioned as Angelo continued chanting.

''Explain yourself, Sir Robert!'' the Captain ordered, pointing a gun at Robert.

''I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife,'' Robert revealed.

''Where's Liv?'' Jimmy raged at Angelo, ''WHERE IS SHE?''

''Jimmy, Robert, with me!'' the Doctor called, striding out of the room.

* * *

Olivia and the others continued pulling as the creature transformed into an enormous wolf. Finally, they managed to break the chain from the wall. The transformation was complete. The door burst open and the Doctor, Jimmy and Robert burst in.

''WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?'' Olivia raged. The Doctor observed the wolf in awe.

''Get out, all of you, now!'' Jimmy called as everyone ran out. The wolf effortlessly broke out of it's cage. Once everyone had cleared out of the room, the Doctor ran out, locking the door shut with the screwdriver as he did so.

The Steward of the house handed guns to all the men, even Jimmy and the Doctor, ''Arms... and your strife... ready everyone?'' he looked at Isabel, ''Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen.''

''I can't leave you,'' Isabel said to Robert, ''What will you do?''

''I must defend her Majesty,'' Robert replied solemnly, ''Now, don't think of me. Just go.''

''All of you at my side, come on!'' she said to all the maids after giving her husband a passionate kiss.

''It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths,'' the Doctor theorised. They heard a thumping noise from the cellar and Jimmy went to investigate. He stepped into a corridor round the corner to find the wolf on the other side. It stared at him for a few seconds before growling, prompting Jimmy to run back into the room.

''Fire!'' the Steward called, and all the men, including the Doctor and Jimmy, shot at the wolf, who stumbled back, ''Fire!'' the Steward called again, and the men did so. It was clear that bullets were not enough to beat the wolf.

''All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me,'' the Doctor ordered.

''I'll not retreat. The battle's done,'' the Steward replied, ''There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault.''

''I insist you come upstairs,'' the Doctor replied.

''I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall,'' the Steward insisted.

The Doctor walked up to the Steward so that he was literally in his face, ''Your funeral,'' he sneered at the man. The Steward strode forward towards the corridor and saw nothing there.

''Must've crawled away to die,'' he muttered as he walked back, only to be pulled upwards by the wolf and and devoured.

''Imbecile,'' the Doctor snarled unsympathetically, before running out of the room with Jimmy and Olivia following. They hurried into a room along with Robert, and saw Victoria running down the stairs.

''Your Majesty! Your Majesty!'' Robert called.

''Sir Robert! What's happening?'' Victoria exclaimed, as the Doctor dashed off ''I heard such terrible noises.''

''Your Majesty, we've got to get out,'' Robert explained, ''But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?''

''Captain Reynolds disposed of him,'' Victoria remarked.

''The front door's been boarded shut,'' the Doctor said as he returned, ''We have no choice. We'll have to escape through a window.'' He led them all through a door into another room.

''Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress,'' Robert said.

''A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh,'' Victoria remarked.

''In your own time,'' the Doctor hurried. Robert moved to the window, only to dodge being shot at by the monks. The Doctor looked out the window , ''No way out,'' he murmured.

''Do they know who I am?'' Victoria expressed indignantly.

''That's why they're here,'' Olivia replied, ''They need you to create the empire or something.''

''Now, stop this talk,'' Victoria dismissed, ''There can't be an actual wolf.''

No sooner had she said that than a howling raged through the house.

''Run!'' the Doctor called, leading everyone up a staircase. The wolf broke the door down and chased after them. They ran to the top of the stairs and then through several corridors, the wolf almost upon them, only for the captain to appear and shoot at the wolf, making it pull back.

''I'll take this position and hold it,'' he said, ''You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty. I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty.''

''I have it. It's safe,'' Victoria declared.

''Then remove yourself, Ma'am,'' he said solemnly, ''Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert - you're a traitor to the crown.''

He cocked his gun.

''We tried that before,'' the Doctor said, ''Bullets won't stop it.''

''They'll buy you time. Now, run!'' The group ran to the house library, and the Doctor, Olivia, Victoria and Robert bounded in. Jimmy stared at the Captain, watching as he shot fruitlessly, only for the wolf to finally devour him.

''Come on!'' the Doctor insisted, grabbing Jimmy and dragging him inside. Everyone quickly moved to barricade the door.

''Wait, wait!'' the Doctor called. Everyone fell silent. They heard the sound of the wolf howling in the distance. He pressed his face against the door, and heard the wolf closely on the other side, only to hear it moving away.

''Is this the only door?'' he questioned.

''Yes. No!'' Robert replied, and he the Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia dashed to the door on the other side to barricade it shut. They heard the footsteps of the wolf moving away.

''I don't understand,'' Olivia said, fingering her pendant necklace as she often did when stressed, ''If it's strong enough to break out of a cage, what's stopping it from breaking in here?''

''Something inside this room,'' the Doctor realised.

''I'm sorry, Ma'am,'' Robert said, ''It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong, I... thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?''

''I thought there was something fishy about the way you tried to get rid of us,'' the Doctor noted.

''What, exactly, I pray someone please,'' Victoria said, ''What exactly is that creature?''

''I believe the proper term is a lupine wavelength haemovariform,'' the Doctor answered.

''I'm starting to think he makes the names up,'' Jimmy muttered to Olivia, who laughed.

''I'll not have it,'' Victoria raged at the Doctor, ''No, sir - not you... not that thing... none of it. This is not my world.''


	9. Tooth and Claw part 3

The Doctor was staring at the carving of mistletoe on the door.

''Mistletoe,'' he remarked, ''Sir Robert, did your father put that there?''

''I don't know,'' Robert muttered, ''I suppose...''

''On the other door, too...'' he noted, ''But a carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder...'' he sniffed the door, ''The door is infused with viscum album, the oil of mistletoe.''

''And that stops the wolf?'' Jimmy questioned.

''It thinks it does,'' the Doctor replied, ''It's almost like a reverse placebo. The monks needed a way of keeping the wolf under control, so they trained it to react to certain things.''

''Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon,'' Robert reminded him.

''Thanks for stating the obvious,'' the Doctor responded bluntly, before turning to look at the library bookcases, ''We don't need weapons. We've got books.'' He took grabbed five books and tossed four of them to everyone, ''Start reading.''

The Doctor, Jimmy, Olivia, Robert and even Queen Victoria flicked through the books, desperately trying to find a possible advantage over the wolf. Everyone muttered over each other as they read aloud. The Doctor, who was standing on a ladder, found something he thought was useful in his book.

''Look at this,'' he called to the others, before jumping down and showing them the picture, ''Your father found this. Something fell to Earth.''

''A spaceship?'' Olivia questioned.

''A shooting star,'' Robert replied, reading out of the book, '''In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.' That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery.''

''But why's it taken so long?'' Olivia wondered.

''Maybe just a single cell survived,'' the Doctor theorised, ''Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host.''

''But why does it want the throne?'' Robert asked.

''It said it wants the 'Empire of the Wolf','' Olivia replied.

''An empire crafted from accelerated Victoria technology,'' the Doctor murmured, ''Driven by steam and coal, tearing history apart.''

''Sir Robert!'' Victoria called, making the man go to her, ''If I am to die here...''

''Don't say that, Your Majesty,'' Robert protested.

''I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me,'' Victoria insisted, ''But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself.''

She opened her bag to pull something out.

''Is it really the time to worry about valuables?'' the Doctor questioned irritably.

''Thank you for your opinion,'' Victoria responded, ''But there is nothing more valuable than this.'' She pulled the Koh-I-Noor from her bag.

''Is that what I think it is?'' Jimmy asked.

''The Koh-I-Noor,'' the Doctor said, ''Greatest diamond in the world.''

''Given to me as the spoils of war,'' Victoria told them, ''Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die.''

''May I...?'' the Doctor asked, reaching out. Victoria handed it to him. The Doctor and his companions examined the diamond in awe. ''You know,'' the Doctor said to his friends, ''They say this thing is worth the wages of the entire planet for a week.''

''Where is the wolf?'' Robert interrupted, ''I don't trust this silence.''

''Why do you travel with this?'' the Doctor questioned.

''My annual pilgrimage,'' Victoria explained, ''I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting.''

''But it's perfect,'' Olivia said, ''Why would you wanna change it?''

''My late husband never thought so,'' Victoria recalled.

''Good point,'' the Doctor said, handing the diamond back to her, ''The Koh-I-Noor was once forty per cent bigger than it's current state but for some reason Albert wasn't satisfied. He kept cutting and cutting.''

''He always said... the shine was not quite right,'' Victoria said, ''But he died with it still unfinished.''

''Unfinished,'' the Doctor repeated, starting to fit the pieces together, ''What if it's all connected? Your husband and Robert's father. This place is a trap for the Queen-''

''Obviously,'' Victoria remarked.

''But what if there was another trap within, for the wolf? What if they planned against the 'Empire of the Wolf and set a trap to stop it-'' he was interrupted by the sight of something above. He looked at the glass dome above, seeing the wolf on top, growling at them. The glass cracked, and the wolf soon fell into the room, roaring.

''Out, now!'' the Doctor ordered, and everyone began frantically removing the barricades they had put on the door, before running out. The Doctor shut the doors to slow the wolf down, ''Gotta get to the observatory!'' he ordered as they ran down the corridor. They turned around a corner and Olivia turned to face the wolf, transfixed. It lunged at her, only for Isobel to run out and throw a pan of water at the creature, making it stagger back and retreat. The Doctor stepped towards the corridor.

''Thanks!'' Olivia murmured.

''It was mistletoe!'' Isobel replied.

''Isobel!'' Robert cried, kissing the woman, ''Get back downstairs.''

''Keep yourself safe,'' Isobel implored, before turning to her maids, ''Girls, come with me. Down the Back stairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!''

''Come on!'' the Doctor called, leading them up the staircase.

''The observatory's this way!'' Robert shouted as they ran. The wolf had recovered and was giving chase.

''No mistletoe on these doors,'' the Doctor noted as they finally entered the observatory, ''They wanted the wolf here. Can we barricade this?''

''Just do your work and I'll defend it,'' Robert said.

''Don't be stupid, man!'' the Doctor scoffed.

''I said I'd find you time, sir,'' Robert insisted, ''Now get inside.''

''Thank you,'' the Doctor said solemnly. Robert headed out and shut the doors.

''Your Majesty, the diamond,'' the Doctor commanded Victoria.

''For what purpose?'' Victoria questioned.

''The purpose it was designed for,'' he replied. She handed the diamond to him and he ran to the mechanism for the telescope, ''Jimmy, Olivia, help me!''

The two humans did so, helping the Doctor turn the large wheel. They heard Robert screaming behind the door.

''You said this thing wouldn't work anyway!'' Jimmy shouted at the Doctor.

''It wouldn't as a telescope,'' the Doctor replied, ''Because it's not a telescope. We have to power it up.''

''With what? Moonlight?'' Olivia scoffed. The Doctor smirked at her, ''You're not serious?''

Finally, the telescope was aligned with the moon, and was shooting bright light at the floor. The wolf burst in and grabbed Victoria, only for the Doctor to throw the diamond at the point where the light was going, reflecting it towards the wolf and blasting it into the air. The wolf hovered above them, before morphing into a human-like form. The Queen watched in awe.

''Make it brighter,'' it urged, ''Let me go.''

The Doctor did so, watching as it once again returned to wolf form, howling loudly, and finally ceased to exist.

Victoria was examining a cut on her arm.

''Did that thing bite you?'' Jimmy questioned.

''It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart,'' Victoria dismissed.

''Let me see,'' the Doctor implored, knowing the implications if it had indeed bit her.

''It is nothing,'' Victoria insisted, pulling her hand away sharply.

* * *

The next morning, The Doctor, Olivia and Jimmy knelt before Queen Victoria. Everyone was present including Isobel and the maids.

''By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Sir Doctor of TARDIS,'' she tapped the Time Lord on each shoulder with a sword, ''By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Dame Olivia of Streatham,'' she tapped Olivia on each shoulder, ''By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Sir James of the Stanton Estate,'' she did the same to Jimmy, ''You may stand.''

''Thank you, your majesty,'' the Doctor said.

''And henceforth.,'' Victoria replied, ''I banish you.''

''I'm sorry?'' the Time Lord questioned.

''I rewarded you, Sir Doctor,'' Victoria said, ''And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the three of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars - and magic - and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it! You will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life,'' she stepped away from them, glaring, ''Now leave my world. And never return.''

* * *

''Interestingly,'' the Doctor began as he and his friends returned to the TARDIS, having been given a ride on a farmer's cart, ''Victoria did in fact suffer a mutation of the blood. Historical fact. And nobody knows where it came from. It certainly wasn't inherited.''

''So what, you think she's a werewolf?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Perhaps not, wolf cells must take at least 100 years to mature. Should be ready by the 21st century!''

They stepped inside, Jimmy and Olivia laughing at his newfound theory that the royal family were Werewolves.

* * *

 **That's part 3 everyone. Next time, my favorite episode of Series 2, School Reunion. What will Jimmy and Olivia's reaction to meeting a former companion be like? Will it be anything like Rose's? Hmmm...**


	10. School Reunion part 1

The Doctor stepped into the physics classroom to find a class of students in their early teens sat there. He placed his bag on the desk, before sitting down.

''Good morning class,'' he began, faking a cheery attitude, ''You don't want to be here. I don't particularly want to be here either. But, we don't always get what we want, so, tough.''

Some of the children snickered at his words.

''Right, then, since we have to be here, let's test what you know about the subject at hand. Here's a question: Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?'' A boy put his hand up, ''You, boy!'' the Doctor called.

''They'd repel each other because they have the same charge,'' the boy replied.

''Correct,'' the Doctor said, surprised that someone of such a young age would have such knowledge,''What was your name?''

''Milo.''

''Next question: I coil up a thin piece of micro wire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this; how do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?''

Milo raised his hand once more.

''Milo, again,'' the Doctor called on the boy.

''Measure the current and PDs in an ampmeter and a voltmeter.''

''Impressive,'' the Doctor murmured, now eager to find out what else Milo knew, ''Another question for you, Milo: true or false - the greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings.''

''False.''

''What is a non-coding DNA?''

''DNA that doesn't code for a protein.''

''Sixty-five-thousand-nine-hundred-

and-eighty-three times five?''

''Three-hundred-and-twenty-nine-

thousand-nine-hundred-and-fifteen.''

''How do you travel faster than light?''

''By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of 36.7 recurring.''

The Doctor looked very surprised, ''Remember what I said about not wanting to be here?'' he murmured the the class, ''I wish to withdraw that comment.''

* * *

It was lunchtime and the Doctor had gone to grab something to eat. He had been served some mashed potato by Olivia, who had been working undercover as a dinner lady, and had then gotten some chips.

Later on, the Doctor sat at a table. He picked up a chip with his fork and was about to eat it. However, something about the school chips just felt... off for some reason. He put the chip back down and looked at them distastefully. Olivia walked up to him under the pretense of going to wipe up his table.

''Hey Doctor,'' the blonde said.

''I think there is something going on here,'' the Doctor admitted, ''A boy in my class had knowledge way beyond this era's scientific experts, let alone a schoolboy.''

''So Jimmy's dad was right, then?'' Olivia asked.

''Apparently so.''

''Not having the chips?'' Olivia asked, grabbing one of his chips and eating it.

''I don't like them,'' he told her.

''I think they're lovely.''

''The children here are very ordered,'' the Doctor noted, ''Nothing at all like the ones from your school.''

''My school wasn't that bad,'' Olivia replied, only for another dinner lady to apprach them

''You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting,'' the woman said sternly.

''Sorry,'' Olivia murmured. The woman was rather intimidating.

''Now, get back to work,'' the woman commanded. Olivia sighed and did as she was told. In the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw Jimmy mopping up a spillage. Jimmy had been working as the school caretaker. Although Jimmy and Olivia were actually 16 years old, due to the year they had missed when they first travelled in the TARDIS, their birth records stated them to both be 17 years of age. This meant that both were able to work, and thus it had been easy to get them work at the school, with the TARDIS easily able to fabricate documents indicating their eligibility for the jobs.

Jimmy listened in to a teacher speaking to some students as he cleaned, ''Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period,'' the teacher said, ''Milo's failed me... so it's time we moved you up to the top class. Kenny? Not eating the chips?''

''I'm not allowed,'' a boy's voice said meekly.

''Luke. extra class. Now.'' The teacher left with several children following. Jimmy locked eyes with the Doctor, who had been watching that entire spectacle.

Olivia was drying a tray in the kitchens. She watched as the other dinner ladies very carefully wheeled along a barrel of oil. They were wearing masks, gloves and goggles. She watched this for a few moments more, only for the barrel to tip over just as the dinner ladies got it inside. Olivia cringed as she watched the dinner lady scream on contact with the hot oil.

''Get her up, get her up!'' another dinner lady screamed frantically as they hoisted the burnt woman to her feet, pulling her into an office. Olivia tried to see what was going on through the window, but the blinds were swiftly drawn down. Olivia thought it would be a good idea to call an ambulance.

''What're you doing?'' one of the dinner ladies asked, emerging from the office.

''Calling an ambulance,'' Olivia replied nervously.

''No need. She's quite all right.'' Suddenly, they heard the sound of something smashing and the burnt woman screaming, and a billow of smoke emerged from the office, ''It's fine. She does that.'' She went back into the office, slamming the door.

* * *

''But yesterday, I had a twelve-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy... in cubits,'' Mr Parsons, another teacher told the Doctor as they sat in the staff room.

''And this is ever since the new headmaster?'' the Time Lord questioned, intrigued.

''Finch arrived three months ago,'' Parsons recalled, ''Next day, half the staff got flu. Finch replaced them with that lot,'' he looked at a group of smartly dressed teachers, ''Except for the teacher you replaced, and that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that.''

''Very weird indeed,'' the Doctor muttered with a smirk on his face.

''She never played! Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight.''

''Excuse me, colleagues,'' the headmaster, Mr Finch, called, ''A moment of your time.''

The Doctor turned around, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Not Mr Finch, but the woman behind him. Someone he had not seen for a very long time.

''May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith,'' Finch continued, ''Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times,'' the Doctor looked at his old friend in awe, ''I thought it might be useful for her to get 'a view from the trenches', so to speak. Don't spare my blushes.''

Finch left the room. Sarah Jane locked eyes with the Doctor and walked over to him.

''Hello!'' she began.

''H-hh-hello,'' the Doctor said, still slightly in shock.

''And, you are... ?''

''J-John Smith,'' the Doctor lied.

''John Smith?'' Sarah Jane repeated fondly, ''I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name.''

''It's a very common name,'' the Doctor replied.

''He was a very uncommon man,'' Sarah Jane replied, before holding out her hand, ''Nice to meet you!''

''And you,'' the Doctor replied.

''Um... so, um, have you worked here long?'' Sarah Jane asked.

''It's my second day.''

''Oh, you're new, then? So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum? So many children getting ill. Doesn't that strike you as odd?''

''This sounds like a bit more than a profile,'' the Doctor said mischievously.

''Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here,'' Sarah Jane replied. The Doctor smirked. Sarah Jane went to speak to some of the other teachers and the Doctor watched her, so proud.

* * *

It had gotten dark, and the Doctor, Jimmy, Olivia and Joshua entered the school through a fire door.

''It's so good to be wearing normal clothes again!'' Olivia said, having changed out of the dinner lady uniform at the first chance she had got.

''Oh, I don't know,'' Jimmy replied, ''I quite like this coat.'' He had found a brown coat in the TARDIS wardrobe which he though would suit the role of caretaker.

''It suits you,'' Olivia said.

''Would you two keep quiet?'' the Doctor questioned, ''If there is something here, we don't it to hear us!''

''Killjoy,'' Olivia muttered.

''He's got a point though,'' Joshua reasoned.

''Here's the plan,'' the Doctor turned to them, ''Jimmy, Olivia, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. Joshua, the new staff are all Maths teachers, go and check out the Maths department. I want to see what goes on in Finch's office. We meet back here in ten minutes.'' They all headed off.

* * *

The Doctor stalked down a corridor as he heard flaps and screeches. He stopped for a moment to confirm what he had heard, before starting again towards the source of the sounds.

* * *

Olivia took the lid off the barrel of oil and spooned some into a small jar. She heard a screech, and whimpered.

''It's alright, Liv,'' Jimmy said softly.

* * *

The Doctor stepped into another room, only to find none other than Sarah Jane Smith stepping out of the room where the TARDIS had been hidden.

''Hello, Sarah Jane,'' he said softly.

''It's you,'' Sarah Jane realised, ''Oh... Doctor... Oh, my God, it's you, it's... it's... you've regenerated.''

''Half a dozen times since we last met,'' the Doctor recalled.

''You look... incredible,'' she said.

''As do you.''

''I got old,'' Sarah Jane scoffed, ''What're you doing here?''

''UFO sightings and rapidly accelerating results. How could I resist?''

''Same,'' Sarah Jane said with a smile, before it faded, ''I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died.''

''I lived. Everyone else died,'' the Doctor replied.

''What do you mean?''

''Everyone died, Sarah.''

''Sarah Jane shook her head sadly, ''I can't believe it's you.''

Their happy moment was broken up by Joshua screaming.

''Okay! Now I can!'' Sarah Jane said as they ran to the source of the scream.

* * *

 **Yay for Sarah Jane! School Reunion is a fantastic episode. I'm still hoping Toby Whithouse is the prime candidate for replacing Moffat when he decides to move on.**


	11. School Reunion part 2

As the Doctor and Sarah Jane ran towards the scream, they bumped into Jimmy and Olivia, who were doing the same.

''Who're you?'' Olivia questioned Sarah Jane.

''This is Sarah Jane,'' the Doctor said with a proud smile, ''She's a very old friend of mine.''

''Hi!'' Olivia beamed, shaking hands with the woman, while Jimmy smiled at her.

''Come on,'' the Doctor ordered, and they all followed him to the maths department, where they found Joshua surrounded by a load of vacum-packed rats.

''Sorry,'' Joshua said meekly, ''These fell out of the cupboards.''

''Well, as idiotic as your scream was,'' the Doctor began, eliciting a glare from Joshua, ''At least it alerted us to these... rats.''

''Isn't that a bit weird,'' Olivia noted, ''Rats in a school?''

''Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons,'' Sarah Jane suggested, ''They dissect them.''

''Nah,'' Jimmy dismissed with a sigh, ''They don't do that anymore. And even if they did, why would they store them in the Maths department? Wouldn't they be in biology or something?''

''Everything started when Mr Finch arrived,'' the Doctor cut in, ''Let's go and check his office.'' He stalked off down another corridor.

''So how d'you know the Doc, then?'' Jimmy asked Sarah Jane.

''I used to travel with the Doctor,'' Sarah Jane replied politely.

''Oh my god,'' Olivia gushed, ''Where'd you go? What creatures did you meet? What face did he have-''

''Didn't I tell you to keep the noise down?'' the Doctor interrupted.

''Sorry,'' Olivia said, becoming quiet.

''Maybe those rats were food,'' the Doctor mused as they reached the headmaster's office, the Doctor unlocking the door with the sonic.

''Food for what?'' Olivia questioned. The Doctor peered inside, and he looked up to see a group of bat-like creatures hanging from the ceiling.

''For them.'' The group observed the giant bats for a few seconds before making a run for it.

''What the hell were those things?'' Joshua asked as the exited the school.

''Calm down, dad,'' Jimmy ordered.

''Were those the teachers?'' Olivia asked as the Doctor and Sarah Jane stepped out.

''When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse,'' the Doctor recalled, ''That means there were thirteen of those things,'' he began to move back inside, ''I need the TARDIS. I want to analyse that oil.''

''I might be able to help you, there,'' Sarah Jane said, ''I've got something to show you!''

She led them to her car and opened the boot. She removed a blanket to reveal a robotic dog.

''K9!'' the Doctor said in awe, ''Jimmy, Olivia, this is K9 Mark 3!''

''It's a... dog,'' Jimmy noted absently.

''Well done, Jimmy, you can state the obvious,'' the Doctor mocked.

''He looks a bit beaten up,'' Joshua pointed out.

''That's a good point,'' the Doctor realised, looking at Sarah Jane, ''What happened to him?''

''Oh, one day, he just... nothing!'' Sarah Jane replied.

''You didn't try to get him fixed, did you?'' the Doctor asked, knowing that humans were not ready for that level of technology at this point in time.

''Well, it's not like getting parts for a mini-metro!'' Sarah Jane protested, ''Beside, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone!''

''Right then,'' the Doctor said, picking up K9 and closing the boot, ''Let's see if an old dog's got some old tricks.''

* * *

The group went to a small chip shop not far from the school. The Doctor and Sarah Jane worked on K9 while Jimmy, Olivia and Joshua grabbed something to eat.

''I thought of you on Christmas Day,'' Sarah Jane said, ''This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead. I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Bet he's up there'.''

''I was,'' the Doctor recalled.

''And Jimmy? Olivia?''

''Jimmy was there. Olivia was... busy,'' the Doctor said, not wanting to tell her that Olivia had been on the roof.

''Did I do something wrong?'' Sarah Jane asked, ''Because you never came back for me. You just... dumped me.''

''I told you,'' the Doctor said, ''I was called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed.''

''I waited for you,'' she admitted, ''I missed you.''

''I'm not important,'' the Doctor scoffed, ''You could do just as well without me. Maybe even better.''

''You know what the most difficult thing was?'' the Doctor asked, ''Coping with what happens next, and with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?''

''What else could I do?'' the Doctor sighed.

''We get a taste of that splendour... and then we have to go back.''

''You're still investigating,'' the Doctor countered, ''You found that school. You're doing what we always did.''

''You could've come back,'' Sarah Jane said. The Doctor shook his head, ''Why not?''

''I never look back,'' the Doctor sighed, ''I can't.''

''It wasn't Croydon, where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!'' Sarah Jane recalled.

''Where was it?''

''Aberdeen!''

''Oh dear,'' the Doctor murmured as K9 whirred into life, ''Hello again,'' the Doctor said to the robot dog.

''Master!'' K9 said.

''You recognise me, splendid!'' the Doctor said.

''Affirmative,'' K9 agreed.

''Olivia, oil!'' the Doctor ordered. The blonde handed over the oil.

''Don't touch it,'' she warned, ''That dinner lady got completely burnt.''

The Doctor waved her off and put his finger into the oil. He rubbed some onto the sensor that K9 had put up.

''What is it, K9?'' the Doctor asked.

''Oil. Ex- ex- ex- extract ana- an- analysing...'' K9 said, ''Confirmation of analysis - substance is Krillitane Oil.''

''Oh no,'' the Doctor murmured, ''Krillitanes.''

''Is that bad?'' Olivia asked.

''Very much so,'' the Doctor replied gravely.

''And what are... Krillitanes?'' Sarah Jane asked.

''They're a composite race,'' the Doctor explained, ''Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, the Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects. They cherry-pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw them, they looked just like humans except they had really long necks.''

''What're they doing here?'' Jimmy asked.

''They want something with the children,'' the Doctor realised.

''So what's with the dog?'' Joshua asked as he and Sarah Jane put K9 back into the boot.

''The Doctor likes travelling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes... they're tin dogs,'' she smiled at Joshua, ''What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?''

''I'm just the backup,'' the man admitted, ''Just help'em out when they need it.''

''Doctor, what're we gonna do?'' Jimmy asked as they headed out of the cafe.

''We formulate a plan of action,'' the Time Lord said, ''We find out what exactly these Krillitanes are up to and put a stop to it.'' The Doctor noticed something in the corner of his eye. It was Mr Finch, standing on the school roof with a Krillitate. Suddenly, the Krillitane swooped down over them, making them all duck, before flying off again.

''Was that a Krillitane?'' Sarah Jane asked.

''It didn't even touch us,'' Olivia noted, ''It just flew off. Why did it do that?''

* * *

The next morning, The Doctor, Olivia, Jimmy, Sarah Jane and Joshua stepped out of Sarah Jane's car as the students arrived at school.

''Jimmy, Olivia, go to the maths department with Sarah Jane. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside,'' the Doctor ordered, ''Here, you might need this,'' he handed Sarah Jane the sonic screwdriver.

''What about me?'' Joshua asked.

''Joshua, surveillance out here,'' the Doctor replied.

''What, just hang around here?''

''Here, take these,'' Sarah Jane said, handing him her car keys, ''You can keep K9 company.''

''Keep the window open a crack!'' the Doctor advised.

''He's a robot!'' Joshua protested.

''Not for him, you moron!'' the Doctor muttered, shaking his head.

''What about you?'' Jimmy asked.

''I'm going to speak to Mr Finch.''

* * *

The Doctor watched the ground floor of the school from a staircase above, making brief eye contact with Mr Finch as the headmaster walked past. He headed off in the direction Finch was going, eventually reaching the school swimming pool where Finch was waiting.

''Who are you?'' he asked.

''My name is Brother Lassa,'' Finch replied, ''And you? Clearly not a human.''

''The Doctor. Gallifreyan. Since when did Krillitanes have wings?''

''It's been our form for nearly ten generations, now,'' Finch replied, ''Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day, just imagine.'' The Doctor looked at him in disgust.

''But you look human,'' the Doctor pointed out.

''A personal favourite, that's all,'' Finch replied, ''My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath,'' the two began to walk towards the same side of the pool, ''And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and... chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you. The last.''

''What're you planning?'' the Doctor asked, feeling his temper rising.

''You don't know,'' Finch realised,

''Why do you think I'm asking?'' the Doctor sneered.

''Well, show me how clever you are. Work it out,'' Finch taunted.

''Whatever it is,'' the Doctor rasped, ''I'm going to stop it.''

''Fascinating,'' Finch said, ''Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?''

''I'd do whatever is necessary,'' the Doctor warned, getting right into Finch's face.

''But we're not even enemies,'' Finch protested, ''Soon... you will embrace us.''

''Never,'' the Doctor scoffed.

''The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you.''

The Doctor looked at Finch menacingly before storming out.

* * *

''It's not working,'' Sarah Jane said as she tried to get the sonic screwdriver to work.

''Let me try,'' Jimmy said, taking the device and ducking under the desk.

''So,'' Olivia said to Sarah Jane, ''What did he look like when you travelled with him?''

''When I first met him, he was tall, dashing, wore all these frilly shirts and velvet jackets,'' she recalled fondly, ''Then he changed, he was all curls, wore the longest scarf you'd ever see.'' She smiled as she remember her Doctors.

''It's still not working,'' Jimmy muttered.

''What about you two?'' Sarah Jane asked, ''What's your Doctor like?''

''Our first one talked like he was from up north,'' Olivia recalled, ''He had short hair and big ears. This one's grumpy all the time.''

''He's cool though,'' Jimmy said from below the desk.

''We'd never have spoken if it wasn't for the Doctor,'' Olivia realised.

''Are you two...'' Sarah Jane began, leaving the implication unspoken.

''NO!'' both humans exclaimed.

''Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?'' Sarah Jane asked Olivia mischievously.

''Oh my god, yeah he does!'' the two laughed hysterically, Jimmy chuckling under the desk.

''Any luck?'' the Doctor asked as he entered.

''Nah, Doc,'' Jimmy said, ''There's nothing.''

''All pupils to class immediately,'' the tannoy ordered, ''And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room.''

''They're putting the plan into action,'' the Doctor realised. Children approached the classroom as the Doctor worked on getting the computers open.

''No, sorry!'' Olivia said, ''This room's out of bounds.''

''Good work!'' the Doctor said to her, before looking at the computer, ''It won't open.''

''I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!'' Sarah Jane remarked.

''Anything except a deadlock seal. To have that level of protection means there's something inside here,'' he realised, ''What're they teaching those kids?''

Suddenly, a projection appeared across all the computers, and on the large white board at the front of the room.

''You wanted the program. There it is,'' Sarah Jane said.

''Some kind of code,'' Jimmy realised.

''Oh no,'' the Doctor muttered as he worked out what the code was, ''The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm.''


	12. School Reunion part 3

''The Skasis what?'' Sarah Jane asked.

''An equation which controls the makeup of reality,'' the Doctor explained, ''Solve that and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. All of existence becomes putty to be reshaped and remoulded.''

''And they're using the kids to do it?'' Olivia asked.

''Apparently so,'' the Doctor said, ''They use the oil to make the kids more intelligent, accelerate the brainpower. The combined power of a group of neurologically accelerated humans to crack the most advanced equation in the universe.''

''But I've been eating those chips,'' Olivia realised.

''What's 59 times 35?'' the Doctor asked.

''2065,'' the blonde answered instantly, only to realise a moment later, making her eyes go wide.

''But why use children?'' Sarah Jane asked, ''Can't they use adults?''

''No, it has to be children,'' the Doctor explained, ''The Skasis Paradigm needs more than brain power to solve it. It needs imagination. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code... they're using their souls.''

''Let the lesson begin,'' a voice said. The four turned to see Mr Finch entering the room, ''Think of it, Doctor - with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it.''

''As though you plan to improve things,'' the Doctor scoffed.

''You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order,'' Finch continued, ''Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good.''

''By you?'' the Doctor spat.

''No... someone like you,'' Finch replied, ''The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God. At my side. Imagine what you could do - think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta... your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords... reborn.

''Doctor, don't listen to him,'' Sarah Jane warned.

''And you could be with him throughout eternity,'' Finch told her, ''Young... fresh... never wither, never age... never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us.''

''It's still wrong,'' the Doctor murmured.

''The universe has to move forward,'' Sarah Jane murmured, ''Pain and loss - they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship... everything has its time. And everything ends.''

The Doctor stepped forward to face Finch. ''I will never work with you. Get out.''

Finch fled the room, and the Doctor turned to the humans.

''Move,'' he ordered, and the group made their way out, running down a flight of stairs and bumping into Joshua and a young student as Krillitanes pursued them.

''What the hell is going on?'' Joshua questioned.

''No time for that,'' the Doctor spat, ''Run.'' They ran in the opposite direction of the Krillitanes, with the creatures in pursuit, until they reached the school hall. The Doctor ran to another door at the other end of the room and grabbed the sonic screwdriver. Mr Finch burst in with several Krillitanes.

''Are they my teachers?'' the boy asked.

''They are indeed,'' the Doctor replied.

''Leave the Doctor alive,'' Finch ordered the other Krillitanes, ''As for the others... you can feast.'' The Krillitanes swooped down to attack. The Doctor attempted to fight back with a chair while the others ducked down to the ground. Suddenly, one of the Krillitanes was hit by a blast of red energy. K9 had entered the room. Mr Finch screeched furiously.

''K9!'' Sarah Jane cheered.

''Suggest you engage running mode, mistress,'' K9 advised.

''Come on!'' the Doctor ordered, ''K9, hold them off.''

''Affirmative, master,'' K9 said as the others fled, ''Maximum defense mode!''

The group reached another door, which the Doctor ushered everyone through before locking it with the sonic. It was the physics classroom which the Doctor had previously taught in.

''Of course, the Doctor said, ''The oil!''

''What about it?'' Sarah Jane asked.

''It's toxic,'' he explained, ''When I touched it, it had no effect. But Olivia, you said when that dinner lady spilled it, she was burned. That's it. Krillitanes have changed their physiology so much even their own oil is a toxic substance to them. How much of it was there in the kitchens?''

''Barrels,'' Olivia replied. The Krillitanes started to rip through the door.

''Right, we need to get to the kitchens,'' the Doctor decided, ''Joshua, Get all the children unplugged and out of the school.'' The man nodded. ''How do we fight bats?'' the Doctor wondered aloud. The boy walked up to the fire alarm and broke it open, setting the alarm. The Doctor got the door open and the group bounded out, the Krillitanes in too much pain to stop them.

* * *

''Master,'' K9 called as the group, minus Joshua, ran down a corridor.

''Come on,'' the Doctor called the robot, who followed them. Finally, they reached the kitchen, and the Doctor tried to get the vats open with the sonic screwdriver, but failed. ''Deadlock sealed,'' he realised.

''The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser,'' K9 said, ''But my batteries are failing.''

''Right. Everyone out the back door,'' he ordered, and Olivia, Jimmy, Sarah Jane and the boy ran out of the room, ''K9, stay with me.''

''Capacity for only one shot, Master,'' K9 said as the Doctor prepared the vats, ''For maximum impact, I must be placed directly beside the vat.''

''OK,'' the Doctor said slowly, nodding solemnly, ''Thank you K9, for everything.'' He fled the room, locking the door as he did so, only to find Sarah Jane outside.

''Where's K9?'' she asked urgently.

''Come on!'' he ordered her.

''Where is he?!'' Sarah Jane persisted, ''What've you done?''

''COME ON!'' the Doctor repeated.

* * *

Once they had gotten far enough away, an explosion ripped through the school. The students, who had been ushered outside by Joshua, began to cheer and applause. Jimmy and Olivia joined in, hugging each other.

''Yes!'' the boy from earlier cheered.

''Did you have something to do with it?'' a girl asked, turning to him.

''Yeah, I did,'' he admitted.

''Oh my God,'' she exclaimed, ''Kenny blew up the school! It was Kenny!''

The students cheered even louder and began chanting the boy, Kenny's name.

''Oi, Kenny!'' Jimmy called.

''What's up,'' Kenny said, jogging over to him.

''That girl likes you, you know,'' he said, ''You can tell from the way she looks at you.''

''Seriously?'' Kenny asked, adjusting his glasses.

''Yeah!'' Jimmy insisted, he gave the boy a 'fist bump', ''Don't waste your chance, fam.'' Kenny smiled and ran back to the crowd.

''Sarah?'' the Doctor said to Sarah Jane. He knew she was affected by K9's death.

''It's all right. He was just a... daft metal dog. Fine, really,'' she said, only to burst into tears. The Doctor was not sure how to react to this. He just looked at Sarah Jane uneasily.

* * *

Later on, the Doctor had moved the TARDIS to a local park. Sarah Jane strolled up and the Doctor stepped out the doors.

''Want to have a look?'' he asked.

''Love to!'' she replied, stepping aboard to find Jimmy and Olivia, ''You've redecorated!'' she realised.

''Do you like it?'' he asked.

''Oh, I, I do,'' Sarah Jane replied, ''Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh... yeah. It'll do!''

''I love it,'' Olivia said.

''Hey, you,'' Sarah Jane said, ''What's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?''

''Haven't a clue,'' Olivia replied.

''But you're still clever,'' Sarah Jane said, ''More than a match for him,'' she nodded towards Jimmy.

''Why don't you come with us,'' the Doctor suggested. Sarah Jane considered for a moment.

''No,'' she decided, ''I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own.''

''Good luck!,'' the Doctor smiled.

''Well, I'd better go,'' Sarah Jane said, stepping outside. The Doctor stepped out for their final goodbye, ''It's daft. But I haven't ever thanked you for that time, and like I said - I wouldn't have missed it for the world,''

''Something to tell the grandkids,'' the Doctor suggested.

''Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now,'' Sarah Jane admitted.

''Was there anyone?'' the Doctor asked.

''Well... there was this one guy,'' Sarah Jane recalled, ''I travelled with him for a while. But he was a tough act to follow.''

She laughed slightly while the Doctor looked down.

''Goodbye, Doctor.''

''Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith.'' He held out his hand for her, which she shook. He gave her one last smile before heading inside and setting the TARDIS into flight, but keeping the scanner trained on Sarah Jane, just so he could witness her reaction to the gift he had left her.

* * *

 **That's my favourite Series 2 episode done. Now for _The Girl in the Fireplace._ I'll give you a hint:This story will be _very_ different due to the fact that this Doctor is completely and utterly non-romantic.**


	13. The Girl in the Fireplace part 1

The Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia emerged from the TARDIS into a dark, empty room. It seemed to be some kind of spaceship.

''Spaceship?'' Jimmy suggested to the Doctor, who nodded.

''Anyone about?'' Olivia asked.

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted, ''I'd better check.'' He walked over to a control panel and tapped some buttons.

''So where are we?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Fifty-first century. Diagmar Cluster,'' the Doctor said. He rummaged around to find lots of broken technology scattered about. ''There's a lot of repair work going on,'' he noted, before noticing a screen displaying a projection of the spaceship, ''Now that's odd. The warp engines are active, yet we're not moving. There's enough power being generated here to blow a hole in the universe, yet we haven't moved an inch.''

''We've been here thirty seconds and you've already noticed trouble,'' Jimmy said, smirking.

''Trouble seems to... present itself around me,'' the Doctor responded.

''So if the engines are working,'' Olivia began, ''Where is everyone?''

''Good question,'' the Doctor replied, checking the control panel, ''No life signs on board. We're the only ones here.''

''It smells like someone's cooking,'' Olivia realised.

''Now that you mention it...'' the Doctor replied. He hit another button which caused a door to open. The trio walked through to find a wall and floor which looked more 18th century than 51st. There was even an 18th century fireplace. ''That shouldn't be here,'' the Doctor murmured, scanning the fireplace with the sonic screwdriver, ''It's genuine. Not a reproduction or a hologram. This IS an 18th century fireplace. And there's another room through here.''

''Well that's not possible,'' Olivia remarked as she looked out of a porthole into deep space, ''This room's as far as the ship goes.''

The Doctor crouched down to see a little girl staring back at him through the fireplace, ''Hello,'' he said.

''Hello...'' the girl replied awkwardly.

''What's your name?''

''Reinette.''

''Where are you at the moment, Reinette?''

''In my bedroom.''

''And where do you live?''

''Paris, of course!'' Reinette said, looking at the Doctor as though he was mad, ''Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?''

''What year is it?'' the Doctor asked, not bothering to answer Reinette's question.

''Seventeen hundred and twenty seven,'' Reinette answred.

''Now that is odd...'' the Doctor murmured, before standing up away from the fireplace and looking at his companions, ''So that's where the power from the engines is going. It must be being used to create a spatio temporal hyperlink.''

''A what?'' Olivia questioned.

''A term I... developed,'' the Doctor admitted.

''See!'' Jimmy cheered to Olivia, ''I told you he made the words up!''

Olivia giggled at his antics, ''So back to the point,'' she said, ''That thing leads to France in the past?''

''Well, lets find out!'' the Doctor said, grabbing the fireplace and pulling a switch, causing the wall to rotate with the Time Lord still holding on to it. He found himself in Reinette's bedroom, with the girl fast asleep. The Doctor wandered over to the window, seeing the skyline of 18th century Paris. It was snowing. He heard a gasp behind him and turned to see that Reinette had woken.

''Don't scream!'' the Doctor ordered, pointing at her to emphasis his words.

''Monsieur, you were in my fireplace,'' Reinette realised.

''That's right,'' the Doctor replied, ''Just a moment ago.''

''Moment?'' Reinette scoffed, ''That was weeks ago. That was months!''

''The connection must be loose,'' the Doctor realised, ''Time differential doesn't correspond.''

''Who are you? And what are you doing here?''

''Hang on...'' the Doctor muttered, staring at the broken clock on the mantle of the fireplace. There was still a ticking noise. If the clock was broken, that meant that the ticking was coming from something else.

''What is it?'' Reinette asked.

''If this clock doesn't work, where does that ticking come from?'' the Doctor wondered aloud, ''It can't be a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. Size of a man.''

''What is it?''

The Doctor checked behind the curtains to see if there was anything there. There wasn't. ''How long was that clock broken?'' he asked Reinette.

''It wasn't before I went to bed,'' the girl replied.

''Makes sense,'' the Doctor said, ''If you made a ticking noise, then being in a room with a clock would make two ticking noises. That would arouse suspicion. Solution? Break the existing clock.'' He crouched down beside Reinette's bed, ''Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Do not put your hands or feet over the edge. Am I clear?''

Reinette nodded. The Doctor peered under the bed to scan with the sonic screwdriver, only for something to smack him back. He took one last look, seeing a pair of feet under the bed. The Doctor stood up to see a figure dressed in period clothing and a clown-like mask.

''Stay where you are!'' he ordered the figure. He glanced between the figure and Reinette before sensing something, ''Why are you scanning her mind? What could possibly be of use to you in a child's mind?''

''I don't understand... it wants me?!'' Reinette exclaimed, before turning to the figure, ''You want me?''

''Not yet. You are incomplete,'' the figure replied in a robotic voice.

''What does that mean?'' the Doctor questioned, before pointing the sonic screwdriver at it, ''Answer me!'' The figure stalked over to the Doctor, before extending it's arm and bringing out a menacing looking blade. ''Come and get me,'' the Doctor exclaimed, darting back towards the fireplace as the figure slashed at him with the blade. The figure slashed at him one more time, but the Time Lord dodged and the figure ended up getting it's blade stuck in the mantel. The Doctor took this opportunity to flick the switch, turning the fireplace around and taking the Doctor and the figure back to the spaceship.

As the figure tried to wretch itself free, the Doctor ran and grabbed what appeared to be a gun and fired ice at the figure, freezing it.

''Ice gun!'' Jimmy cheered.

''Fire extinguisher,'' the Doctor replied, dropping the gun.

''What is that thing?'' Olivia asked, staring at the figure.

The Doctor pulled the figure's mask off, revealing a transparent head with what appeared to be clockwork robotic mechanism.

''Right, let's find out what your programming is,'' the Doctor whispered menacingly to the robot, only for it to teleport away, ''Short range teleport, can't have got far. Might even still be on board.''

He strode over to the fireplace, ''Do not go looking for that thing!'' he ordered Jimmy and Olivia.

''What about you?'' Jimmy asked.

''Back in a tick,'' the Doctor replied, flicking the switch once more and returning to the other side.

''You know what he said about not looking for it,'' Jimmy said to Olivia.

''Yeah?'' the blonde smirked as she realised what he was thinking.

''Come on!'' he went over and picked up another fire extinguisher gun while Olivia picked up the one the Doctor had dropped. The two humans giggled as they went off in search for the clockwork robot.

* * *

 **Just so you guys know, the next chapter will feature a lot of Olivia/Jimmy fluff, for those who like that sort of thing.**


	14. The Girl in the Fireplace part 2

''Reinette?'' the Doctor called as he got to her side of the fireplace. He took a look around the room, which looked very different to how it had been last time he was there. Given that the timelines were out of sync, he had no idea how much time had passed for Reinette during the few minutes he had been gone.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat behind him. The Doctor turned to see a young woman.

''Do you know where Reinette is?'' he asked her.

''Reinette! We're ready to go!'' an older woman's voice called.

''Go to the carriage, mother, I will join you there,'' the woman, apparently an older Reinette, said, before looking at the Doctor, ''It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence.''

''Hello Reinette,'' the Doctor murmured, not quite sure what to say, ''You look... older.''

''And you do not appear to have aged a single day,'' Reinette countered, walking up to him, ''That is tremendously impolite of you.''

''I'm not known for being polite,'' the Doctor commented dryly. He seemed to have lost his manners after his last regeneration.

''Just as rude as you were when I was seven years old,'' Reinette replied with a smirk, before touching his cheek softly. She did not notice the Doctor grimacing at this, ''Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real.''

''Well, 'reason' is clearly wrong in this case,'' the Doctor pointed out.

''Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient!'' a male voice called.

''A moment!'' Reinette responded, irritated, before looking back at the Doctor, ''So many questions. So little time.''

She pulled the Doctor into a kiss and moved them both back against the mantel. The Doctor flailed his arms in obvious discomfort.

''Get off me, woman!'' the Doctor finally exclaimed, before physically shoving the woman off him. ''Humans!'' he commented in disgust. Reinette looked at him, hurt.

''Mademoiselle Poisson!'' the male voice called again. Reinette gave the Doctor one last hurt look before grabbing her purse and leaving the room.

''Hang on,'' the Doctor muttered to himself as a man entered the room, ''Reinette Poisson? French aristocracy, mistress of Louis 15th?'' the man looked at him, confused. ''Oh no...'' the Doctor murmured, ''Madame de Pompadour just kissed me,'' he flicked the switch and spun the fireplace back to the spaceship as the man watched in awe. He found that Jimmy and Olivia were not there.

''Imbeciles!'' he muttered, stalking off to find them, only to find, of all things, a horse in the middle of the corridor.

* * *

Jimmy and Olivia crept down a corridor until Olivia noticed a security camera trained on them. It moved out towards her.

''What the hell?'' the blonde said.

''That's some weird camera,'' Jimmy laughed.

''Hang on,'' Olivia said, ''It's got a real eye!''

''Oh my god, it does!'' Jimmy realised, before noticing a panel underneath. He opened it to reveal a human heart wired into the wall.

''This place is sick!'' Olivia commented in disgust.

* * *

''Where are you, humans?'' the Doctor called as he walked down a corridor. The horse was following him. ''Will you go away?'' he shouted at it, before noticing a set of French double doors. He opened them to reveal a grassy courtyard, which he stepped into. He saw Reinette and another woman walking along.

''Oh, Catherine, you are too wicked!'' Reinette remarked. She turned around, having noticed something in the corner of her eye, making the Doctor duck behind a pillar so as not to be seen.

''Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateneux is ill and close to death,'' the other woman, Catherine, replied.

''Yes,'' Reinette said, ''I am devastated.'' She then started to laugh.

''Oh, indeed. I myself am frequently inconsolable,'' Catherine laughed, ''The King will therefore be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?''

''He is the King,'' Reinette answered, ''And I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him.''

Catherine laughed at his. Reinette turned around again, convinced someone was watching. The Doctor hid behind the pillar again.

''Is something wrong, my dear?'' Catherine questioned.

''Not wrong, no,'' Reinette murmured as the two women linked arms and continued walking.

''Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions,'' Catherine pointed out.

''Every woman in Paris shares them,'' Reinette countered.

''You know of course that the King is to attend the Yew Tree ball?''

The sound of Reinette and Catherine's voices faded into the distance as the two women walked away. The Doctor watched, tense.

* * *

''These cameras are creeping me out, you know,'' Jimmy said to Olivia.

''Me too,'' the blonde said.

''Maybe I should spray'em with this!'' he joked, pointing the fire extinguisher at the camera.

''Best not waste it,'' Olivia reasoned, ''What if that robot thing comes back.''

''Good thinking,'' Jimmy conceded. They stopped by a window to see a luxurious 18th century room.

''France again,'' Olivia noted. Three men strode in, the one in the mirror staring right into the window.

''Who's this guy?'' Jimmy wondered.

''The King of France,'' the Doctor replied, walking up behind them.

''Where've you been?'' Olivia asked.

''Looking for you two,'' the Doctor replied sternly, ''What part of 'do not go looking for it' was so difficult to understand?''

''Sorry,'' the two teenagers said. The horse whinnied from around the corner.

''You've got a horse?'' Olivia questioned.

''Long story,'' the Doctor waved her off, ''The matter at hand. All these gateways into history. Not just 18th century France, but the life of one particular woman. Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, commonly known as Reinette. What does this ship want with her?''

''Who is she, exactly?'' Jimmy asked.

''Tonight, she becomes the king's mistress. Gets bestowed a title: Madame De Pompadour.''

The woman in questioned strolled up to the window and seemed to be observing herself. Apparently the Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia were looking through a mirror. The Doctor noticed another broken clock on the mantelpiece.

''Oh no,'' he muttered as Reinette noticed too. There was a clockwork robot standing at the corner room and Reinette attempted to confront it. The Doctor sprung into action. He grabbed Jimmy's fire extinguisher and spun the mirror around to get into Reinette's time. He did not bother to acknowledge the woman. He simply pointed the extinguisher at the robot and froze it.

''Fireplace man!'' Reinette called. The robot continued to whirr even after being frozen.

''It's switching back on,'' the Doctor observed.

''What's it gonna do?'' Olivia asked.

''Kill us all,'' the Doctor replied tensely. The robot shot it's arm out at the Doctor, who dodged and moved back towards Reinette.

''You will identify,'' he ordered. There was no answer. ''Tell it to answer me,'' he urged Reinette.

''Why should it listen to me?'' she wondered.

''It did when you were a child,'' the Doctor recalled.

''Answer his question,'' Reinette ordered the robot, ''Answer any and all questions put to you.''

''I am repair droid seven,'' the robot said after lowering it's arm.

''What happened to your ship?'' the Doctor asked.

''Ion storm, eighty two percent systems failure.''

''Why has it taken so long to repair?''

''We did not have the parts.''

''Where are the crew?''

''We did not have the parts.''

''What happened to them?''

''We did not have the parts.''

''The parts...'' the Doctor muttered, only to realise what the robot was saying a moment later, ''You used the crew to patch up the ship.''

''We found a heart plugged into the wall,'' Jimmy said.

''And a camera with an eye,'' Olivia added.

''Of course,'' the Doctor realised, ''Your programming doesn't say what _not_ to use for repairs. Of course you used the crew when nothing else was available. And what's 18th century France got to do with it?''

''One more part is required,'' it said, turning to look at Reinette.

''Then why are you wasting time?'' the Doctor asked, calling it's bluff, ''Take it and go!''

''She is incomplete.''

''Incomplete?'' the Doctor repeated in confusion, before approaching a different topic.

''Why her?''

''We are the same.''

''We are not the same, we are in no sense the same!'' Reinette argued.

''We are the same.''

''Get out of here! Get out of here this instance!'' Reinette exclaimed.

''No, don't say that!'' the Doctor shouted frantically, but it was too late. The robot teleported away.

''Jimmy, Olivia, take the horse and find that robot,'' the Doctor ordered, ''Go, now!''

The two teenagers did as they were told. The Doctor closed the portal behind them and looked at Reinette.

''I need to find out what they're looking for,'' he told the woman, ''There's only one way I can do that.'' He placed his fingers on her temples and closed his eyes. Reinette also closed hers.

''Fireplace man... you are inside my mind,'' Reinette realised.

* * *

''She's got the hots for him,'' Jimmy commented with a smirk as he and Olivia searched one of the spaceship's corridors.

''Who?'' the blonde asked.

''That Reinette lady. She fancies the Doctor.''

''I can't imagine him being in a relationship with anyone,'' Olivia remarked.

''Why's that?''

''He's just so grumpy and rude all the time,'' she says.

''So, I can be grumpy,'' Jimmy pointed out, ''And rude.''

''Yeah but you're...''

Jimmy stopped and looked at Olivia with a smirk, ''I'm what?''

''You're Jimmy...''

''Yeah, so?''

''I can't imagine you in a relationship either, to be fair,'' she lied.

''What're you trying to say?'' Jimmy asked.

''Err... Nothing,'' Olivia tried. Jimmy flicked the fire extinguisher onto the lowest possible setting, so it would shoot foam instead of ice, and fired at Olivia, who screamed.

''Jimmy, what have you done?'' the blonde protested.

Jimmy could not reply as he was laughing too much.

''My blouse is ruined now,'' Olivia whined.

''Aww, sorry!'' Jimmy replied.

''What am I gonna wear?'' she asked aloud. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. ''Tell you what,'' Olivia continued, ''Give me your shirt.''

''What?!'' Jimmy exclaimed, ''Are you mad?''

''I need something to wear, your shirt's clean, and it's not too cold.''

''I'm not giving you my shirt,'' Jimmy protested.

''I wasn't giving you a choice,'' Olivia said, pointing the fire extinguisher at him.

''Alright, fine,'' Jimmy sighed, taking off his green t shirt and exposing his muscular physique. He handed it to Olivia.

''Thank you,'' the blonde smirked, her ploy to get a... view having succeeded, ''Now turn your back.''

''Fine,'' Jimmy huffed, turning around while Olivia took off her black blouse and replaced it with Jimmy's shirt.

''You can turn around now,'' Olivia called. Jimmy did so, and raised an eyebrow at Olivia looking very small in his shirt, not to mention completely unmatched as her skirt, tights and shoes were all black.

''It's like Alice all over again,'' Jimmy joked. Olivia giggled at the memory of Alice McGowan crying as she had to wear a boy's tracksuit and jumper after Jimmy ruined her clothes.

''Your shirt's quite comfy,'' Olivia remarked.

''Shut up, Liv,'' Jimmy muttered, continuing to walk ahead, though smirking as he did so.

''JIMMY,'' Olivia screamed behind him. Jimmy whirled around only to see Olivia being grabbed by the clockwork robots. He himself was grabbed from behind. The robots injected something into both teenagers' necks, causing them to pass out.

* * *

''You are in my memories,'' Reinette realised as the Doctor continued scanning her brain, ''You walk among them.''

''If you don't want me to see something, then imagine a door and seal those memories inside,'' the Doctor instructed.

''To walk among the memories of another living soul,'' Reinette remarked, ''Do you ever get used to this?''

''I don't make a habit of it,'' the Doctor replied.

''How can you resist?''

''How old are you?'' he asked.

''So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising.''

''That's what the robots want to know,'' the Doctor explained, ''You're 23, apparently that isn't old enough.'' Reinette flinched. ''Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening,'' the Doctor said.

''Oh, such a lonely childhood...'' Reinette murmured.

''It'll pass,'' the Doctor waved off.

''Oh, Doctor. So lonely. So very, very alone.''

''You've never been alone-'' the Doctor began, before realising what she had said, ''I never told you I was called the Doctor.''

''Such a lonely little boy,'' Reinette expressed, ''Lonely then and lonelier now,'' she opened her eyes, ''How can you bear it?''

''How did you do that?'' he asked, stepping away from her.

''A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction...'' Reinette pointed out.

''Oh, Doctor,'' Reinette said, stepping towards him, ''My lonely Doctor. Dance with me.''

''No,'' the Time Lord said instantly.

''Dance with me,'' she insisted.

''You dance with the King tonight,'' he reminded her.

''Then first, I shall make him jealous.''

''I don't do that kind of thing.''

''Doctor...'' Reinette said, ''Doctor who?'' She stared at him for a moment, ''It's more than just a secret, isn't it?''

''What do you mean?'' the Doctor asked nervously.

''There comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance.''

She took his hand, leading him away. The Doctor sighed, wondering how he was going to get out of this.

* * *

Olivia opened her eyes to find herself strapped to some kind of operating table. Jimmy was strapped to another one opposite. She saw the clockwork robot staring down at her.

''Where the hell is the Doctor?'' Jimmy raged, ''He's been gone for hours!''

''You are compatible,'' the droid said to Olivia.

''Please, don't!'' the blonde whimpered, ''I'm begging you, please don't hurt me!'' The droid thrust out a sharp device over her, ''PLEASE DON'T!'' Olivia begged.

''Leave her alone!'' Jimmy insisted, struggling to break free.

''Hello everyone!'' a loud, and uncharacteristically cheerful voice called. The Doctor strode over with a wine glass in his hand.

''Doc!'' Jimmy murmured, ''Get us out of here.''

''You know,'' the Doctor said, ''I finally found out what they want with Reinette. Of all things, they want to know how old she is, because apparently this ship is 37 years old. They want Reinette when she's 37, otherwise her brain is incompatible. For some reason they want the brain of Madame de Pompadour to function as the ship's computer.''

''Yeah, that's great, now GET US OUT OF HERE!'' Olivia screamed.

''The brain is compatible,'' the droid said. The Doctor removed the robot's mask and poured the contents of the wine glass over the clockwork mechanism. The robot flopped down.

''Multigrain anti-oil,'' he remarked. The other robots around the room began to advance, and the Doctor threw a lever, deactivating them. He released his companions with the sonic screwdriver.

''What now?'' Olivia asked as she stood up. The Doctor gave her an odd look for wearing Jimmy's shirt, and gave Jimmy's shirtless form an even odder look.

''Now, we shut down the time windows,'' the Doctor replied, trying to operate the system, ''It's not working!''

''Why didn't they just go to when she's 37?'' Olivia questioned.

''The ship's so damaged they can't manage that level of accuracy.''

''And can't you close it down?'' Jimmy asked as a pinging noise sounded.

''Incoming message,'' the Doctor realised, ''There's still a droid out there. It won't let me shut it down until it comes back.''

Suddenly, the clockwork droid leader sprung into life, expelling the anti oil the Doctor had poured into it.

''Oh dear,'' the Time Lord murmured. The other droids then reactivated around them.

''She is complete. It begins,'' the leader said, and the droids all teleported away.

''Doctor, what's going on?'' Olivia asked.

''The droid out there must have found the right time window. They're mobilising. They're going to extract her brain.''

Olivia creeped into Reinette's room. The woman flinched and checked to see if another attack was imminent, but the clock was unharmed.

''Reinette,'' Olivia called, ''Don't scream, please.''

''What are you here for?'' Reinette questioned.

''I just came to say they'll be here at some point after your 37th birthday.''

''That is five years from now!'' Reinette pointed out.

''I can't explain exactly,'' Olivia admitted, ''There isn't time.''

''There are five years!'' Reinette pointed out.

''Time goes differently for us,'' Olivia explained, ''We could see you in five years time, but it might be an hour for us.''

''Explain,'' Reinette said, ''And be concise.''

''There's a ship with doors into different points of your life,'' Olivia explained, ''That's where those things come from. That's how the Doctor gets to you.''

''There is a vessel in your world... where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book so that he may step from one to the other without increase of age...'' Reinette remarked, ''While I, weary traveller... must always take the slower path?''

''Apparently,'' Olivia sighed.

''So, in five years these creatures will return. What can be done?''

''Keep them talking,'' Olivia explained, ''They'll answer anything you ask. It won't stop them forever but it'll slow them down.''

''Until?''

''The Doctor will come. He promises.''

''But he cannot... make his promises in person?'' Reinette wondered.

''When you need him, he'll be there,'' Olivia promised.

''The monsters and the Doctor,'' Reinette sighed, ''It seems you cannot have one without the other.''

''This shouldn't even have happened,'' Olivia remarked, ''Those things shouldn't have come here.''

''Shouldn't have happened?'' Reinette questioned, ''What does that mean? It happened, child. And I would not have it any other way. One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel.''

''Liv!'' Jimmy called, stepping through a curtain, ''We found the time window!''

Olivia ran over to him followed by Reinette. Reinette spent a few seconds ogling Jimmy's shirtless and built physique, before looking through behind the curtain into the spaceship and stepping through.

''Don't go in there!'' Olivia ordered, but Reinette did not listen. She walked into the spaceship.

''So, this is his world,'' Reinette remarked, looking around the spaceship in horror and awe, only for the the sound of screams to be heard, ''What was that?''

''It's an audio link to the time window,'' Jimmy explained.

''Those screams... is that my future?'' Reinette asked fearfully. Olivia nodded, ''Then I must take the slower path.''

''Are you there?'' Reinette's future self called, ''Can you hear me? I need you now, you promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time.''

''That's my voice,'' her current self realised.

''Are you alright?'' Olivia asked.

''No. I'm very afraid,'' Reinette admitted, ''But the Doctor is worth the monsters.''

Olivia nodded as Reinette stepped back into her own time, as her future self cried out for the Doctor's help.


	15. The Girl in the Fireplace part 3

Jimmy and Olivia arrived to find the Doctor working frantically at the time window. They could see and hear the commotion as the robots attacked the ballroom.

''They knew I was coming,'' the Time Lord said urgently, ''They blocked the time window off.''

''Well how did they get in?'' Olivia asked.

''Didn't you see? They teleported,'' he explained, ''As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked they can teleport through.''

''Use the TARDIS!'' Olivia suggested.

''We'll become part of events!'' the Doctor dismissed.

''Smash it!'' Jimmy suggested.

''That would require extreme force,'' the Doctor replied, deep in thought.

''How much force are we talking?'' Olivia asked, a slight smirk on her face as the horse trotted up behind the Doctor.

The Doctor turned to the horse, ''I'm a very lucky man,'' he said, jumping on to the animal's back.

''You're gonna go through on a horse?'' Jimmy asked, shocked.

''Got a better idea?'' the Doctor countered.

''No.''

''Horse it is, then,'' the Doctor decided, before setting the horse running at the time window, and crashing through the mirror on the other side, much to the shock of the people in the ballroom. The Doctor leapt off, ''Madame de Pompadour,'' he acknowledged.

''What the hell is going on?'' the King asked.

''Oh - this is my lover, the King of France,'' Reinette told the Doctor. The Doctor nodded at the man, before stepping towards the robots. He pulled off the leader's mask, eliciting gasps from many people. The droid pointed it's weapon at him.

''It's over,'' the Doctor sneered at the droid, looking at the mirror which he had broken through. There was only a brick wall behind. The time window was gone.

* * *

Back on the spaceship, the glass had shattered and only the wall of the spaceship was behind. The time window had been destroyed.

''The Time Window's gone!'' Jimmy realised.

''But that means-'' Olivia began, ''He can't get back. We're stuck here.''

* * *

The droid leader tried teleporting back to the ship to no avail. The Doctor smirked at it.

''It's over,'' he repeated, ''I severed the link. You have no way to get back to the ship. You have failed your mission. You're trapped in a primitive time period with no means of fulfilling your directives. Your only option is to cease function.''

The droid's clockwork mechanism began to slow. The Doctor shoved it to the ground and watched as the mechanism died down completely. The other droids around them all deactivated, one of them smashing into the ground.

''What's happened to them?'' Reinette asked, standing slowly.

''They have no function. No reason to keep working,'' the Doctor explained.

* * *

''What are we gonna do, Liv?'' Jimmy asked, sitting down against the control panel.

''I don't know,'' Olivia replied, her voice cracking. She went and sat next to Jimmy and rested her head against his shoulder,

* * *

The Doctor stood at the window, watching the stars sadly. He knew he had almost no way of getting back to his companions and the TARDIS.

''You know all their names, don't you?'' Reinette asked, walking up behind him, a glass of wine in her hand, ''I saw that in your mind. The name of every star.''

''What do names matter?'' the Doctor asked irritatedly.

''Like, 'The Doctor'?'' Reinette quipped. The Doctor did not reply, ''I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think.''

''I have,'' the Doctor admitted.

''In saving me, you trapped yourself,'' Reinette said, ''Did you know that would happen?''

''Yes,'' the Doctor replied.

''Yet, still you came.''

''There wasn't another way,'' the Doctor sighed.

''There were many doors between my world and yours,'' Reinette noted, ''Can you not use one of the others?''

''No... When I smashed through that window, the shock must burnt out all the other time windows,'' the Time Lord explained, ''All the time windows are offline now.''

''So, here you are. My lonely angel. Stuck on the slow path, with me,'' Reinette smiled.

''Apparently so,'' the Doctor replied dryly.

''I can see you will not enjoy the slow path,'' Reinette said slyly, ''So I have a solution. Come on!'' She led him off into another room. This was her bedroom at the palace, and there stood a fireplace that looked very much like the one through which they had first met, ''It's not a copy. It's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail.''

''When did you do this?'' the Doctor asked in awe.

''Many years ago. In the hope that a door once opened, may someday be opened again. One never quite knows when one needs one's Doctor,'' she smiled at him, ''It appears undamaged, do you think it will still work?''

''Perhaps,'' he mused, ''You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it. Which means it was off-line when the mirror broke. Which means...'' he began to smile, ''There may still be a loose connection.''

Reinette observed him with slight sadness in her eyes.

''Found it!'' he cheered, fixing the connection with the sonic screwdriver and flicking the switch, ''I'm a very lucky man!'' he declared as the fireplace whirled around. Reinette glanced at him sadly. As he stepped out, he crouched back down to the fireplace, ''Madame de Pompadour!'' he called. Reinette crouched down to face him, ''Still want to see the stars?''

''More than anything!'' she affirmed.

''Give me minute, pack a bag!'' he told her.

''Am I going somewhere?''

''Just trust me.''

Reinette stood up. The Doctor ran to the control room to find Jimmy and Olivia asleep and slumped against a control panel.

''Wakey wakey!'' he called, jolting both awake, ''Rise and shine!''

''How did you get back?'' Olivia asked groggily.

''Long story,'' the Doctor replied, ''Now, both of you, into the TARDIS.'' The two teenagers did as they were told while the Doctor darted over to the fireplace. ''Reinette,'' he called. Recieving no reply, he flicked the switch and returned to her time. The room was completely dark. The Doctor stepped out into the halls, continuing to call for Reinette. He found the king standing by the window and staring outside.

''You just missed her,'' the king said, ''She'll be in Paris by six.''

''Oh no...'' the Doctor murmured.

''Good Lord... she was right,'' the king said as he stared at the Doctor in awe, ''She said you never looked a day older. So many years since I saw you last, yet not a day of it on your face,'' he walked over to a sideboard and opened a drawer, retrieving a letter, ''She spoke of you many times. Often wished you'd visit again. You know how women are.'' He handed the letter to the Doctor, who looked at it. ''There she goes,'' the king said as he watched the hearse carry Reinette's coffin away, ''Leaving Versailles for the last time. Only forty-three when she died,'' the Doctor looked down sadly, ''Too young... too young. Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard.'' He looked at the Doctor, ''What does she say?''

The Doctor remained silent.

''Of course. Quite right,'' he murmured as the Doctor tucked the letter into his pocket and walked away sadly. He spun the fireplace back to the spaceship and trudged back to the TARDIS.

''Did you ever find out?'' Jimmy asked as he stepped into the time machine, ''Why they wanted her?''

''No idea,'' he admitted, ''Circuits must have got damaged. I'm shutting down the last time window.''

''Are you alright?'' Olivia asked as the Doctor typed on the TARDIS computer. The Time Lord did not reply. Both humans saw that the Doctor needed some time alone, so they both departed the room. Once they were gone, the Doctor read Reinette's letter.

''My Dear Doctor.

The path has never seemed more slow, and yet I fear I am nearing its end. Reason tells me that you and I are unlikely to meet again. But I think I shall not listen to reason. I have seen the world inside your head, and know that all things are possible. Hurry though, my love. My days grow shorter now, and I am so very weak.

God speed, my lonely angel.''

The Doctor sighed and placed the letter back into his pocket. He looked at the fireplace through the screen, the fire as vibrant as ever. He pressed a key and watched as the time window went offline and the fire went out for the last time. He set the TARDIS into flight, sighing wearily as the rotor went up and down.

* * *

 **Next time: CYBERMEN. I will warn you now that the next chapter will feature a LOT of swearing.**


	16. Rise of the Cybermen part 1

Olivia sat on the TARDIS captain's chair with her feet on the console applying her lipstick. Jimmy was pacing around the room.

''This place has got so much stuff in it, yet for for some reason I can't find anything to do.''

''Probably because you've got the attention span of a goldfish,'' Olivia joked.

''No I don't!'' Jimmy argued.

''Greetings, everyone!'' the Doctor called in faux cheer, marching into the room and removing Olivia's feet from the console.

''What's got you in such a good mood?'' Olivia asked.

''No reason,'' the Doctor replied dryly, ''I just thought it would be funny to announce myself like that.''

''You being funny?'' Jimmy scoffed.

''Are you suggesting that I can't?'' the Doctor questioned, sensing a challenge.

''That's exactly what I'm suggesting.''

''Calm down, boys,'' Olivia joked, standing up, only for the TARDIS console to explode, sending all three to the ground, ''What happened?'' she screamed.

''The time vortex is gone!'' the Doctor replied as he desperately tried to work the controls, ''That's impossible - it's just gone!''

Jimmy, despite having no clue how the TARDIS worked, tried to press more buttons, but it did no good.

''Brace yourself!'' the Doctor ordered, ''We're gonna crash!'' And crash it did. The TARDIS slammed down, sending the three to the ground once more. Gas masked dropped from the roof, ''Everyone all right? Jimmy – Olivia?'' the Doctor called.

''Fine, Doc,'' Jimmy murmured.

''I'm okay,'' Olivia whispered, a bit shaken.

''She's dead,'' the Doctor murmured as they all stood up, ''The TARDIS is dead.''

''Can't you fix it?'' Olivia asked, dreading the answer.

''There's nothing to fix,'' the Doctor replied ,''The last TARDIS is gone.''

''So what are we gonna do?'' Jimmy asked.

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted, ''We're in some kind of non-existent realm. Nowhere, nowhen.''

''We've gotta be somewhere!'' Olivia argued.

''We fell out of the vortex,'' the Doctor explained, ''Out of existence as you know it. We don't exist anymore.''

''You sure about that?'' Jimmy asked as he ventured out, ''Looks like London to me.''

Sure enough, Jimmy stepped out into what looked like Thames embankment. The Doctor stepped out after him, followed by Olivia.

''Now that's what you call luck,'' Olivia muttered, before taking a newspaper out of a bin and looking at the date, ''First of February.'''

''So we're on Earth?'' the Doctor wondered aloud, not believing it at all.

''Looks like it,'' Jimmy replied.

''Are you absolutely sure?'' the Doctor pressed.

''What are you trying to say?'' Olivia asked.

''Does your London have Zeppelins?'' he asked, gesturing above. Sure enough, the sky was filled with Zeppelins.

''What the hell,'' Jimmy murmured.

''This must be some kind of parallel universe,'' the Doctor explained.

''Seriously?'' Jimmy asked, ''Parallel universes exist?''

''Look at this,'' Olivia said as she flicked through the newspaper, she showed the Doctor and Jimmy a headline which read 'Attlee and Green welcomes new CEO'.

''Attlee and Green?'' Jimmy recalled, ''Isn't that the firm your dad works at?''

Olivia nodded, ''But back home it's only small. This says it's the biggest finance firm in the UK.''

''So who's the new boss?'' Jimmy wondered, not really interested.

''Take a wild guess,'' Olivia replied. Jimmy's eyes widened as he worked it out.

''Oh my god, your dad!'' he laughed, ''They must be minted!''

''I wanna go see them!'' Olivia declared.

''Don't even think about it,'' the Doctor called from behind.

''Why not?'' Olivia asked.

''Parallel, remember,'' he reminded her, ''For all we know, this version of your father has his own Olivia. Imagine his reaction if you come knocking at his door.''

''But I'm not gonna go in, am I?'' the blonde huffed, ''I'm just gonna watch from far away.''

''It is not a risk I'm willing to take,'' the Doctor argued, ''Stay away from them. End of conversation. Now back in the TARDIS, both of you.''

''Doctor, I'm not stupid!'' Olivia argued, ''I know what I'm doing. They won't notice anything.''

''I don't care,'' the Doctor replied bluntly, ''I'm telling you to stay away from them. It is not up for discussion.

Olivia huffed and stormed away, Jimmy following after her.

* * *

Later on, Jimmy stepped back into the TARDIS, having decided to leave Olivia alone to give her time to think.

''What happened?'' the Doctor asked urgently.

''She's alright,'' Jimmy dismissed, ''Just give her time to calm down.''

''That's the problem with parallel universes,'' the Doctor murmured, ''All those temptations calling out.''

''Just her?'' Jimmy replied, ''Nothing to tempt me?''

''I can't worry about everything!'' the Doctor argued, ''Have to worry about the TARDIS before I worry about anything else.

* * *

Olivia sat down on a bench, deep in thought. She could at least understand the Doctor's point of view. What if her alternative father or mother noticed her. What if the other her did? But at the same time, if she stayed far away enough that she would not be visible, surely they would notice anyway?

Suddenly, a Zeppelin flew directly above. This one had some kind of logo on the bottom. Olivia's phone beeped inside her pocket. She took it out to reveal the same logo as the one on the Zeppelin, and the message ''Cybus Network. Welcome, free trial period.'' She proceeded, bringing up a news report.

''And it's good news for Great Britain as John Lumic returns to the country of his birth,'' the Reporter said, ''Mr Lumic, the inventor of high-content metal, has denied allegations of ill health.''

''We're all flesh and blood, but the brain is what makes us human,'' a man in a wheelchair, presumably John Lumic, said, ''And my mind is more creative than ever.''

Olivia looked at the Zeppelin above her. It must be owned by the same people who owned this ''Cybus network''.

* * *

''We're not meant to be here,'' the Doctor explained, ''The TARDIS draws its power off the universe, but it's the wrong universe.''

''Are we not meant to travel between worlds?'' Jimmy asked.

''Once upon a time, it was easy,'' the Doctor recalled, ''When the Time Lords were around. Then they died, took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed.

''How did we end up here?'' Jimmy wondered.

''Just an accident,'' the Doctor told him, ''But either way, we're trapped.'' Just as he said that, he noticed a flicker of light underneath the TARDIS grating, ''Hold on...''

''What is it?'' Jimmy asked.

''Is that a light underneath?'' he wondered aloud.

''What if it is?'' Jimmy asked.

''If it is, then we have a way out of here!'' the Doctor cheered. The two began working to remove the grilling and the wires underneath, to see if they did indeed have a way out.

''What exactly have you found?'' Jimmy asked.

''A power cell,'' the Doctor explained, ''A tiny one, still clinging to life. A tiny piece of our reality.''

''Enough to get us home?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Not quite,'' the Doctor admitted, picking up the power cell, ''I need to charge it up.''

''What can we use?''

''Something that needs to come from our universe.''

''So what have we got?'' Jimmy wondered.

''Me,'' the Doctor replied. He blew into the cell, which began to grow brighter, ''I just gave away ten years of my life. Worth every second!''

The light began to fade.

''It's going out!'' Jimmy realised.

''Doesn't matter,'' the Doctor dismissed, ''It's just the recharging cycle. Should take around 24 hours.''

''So, a day on a parallel world,'' Jimmy noted.

''Apparently so,'' the Doctor said, standing up, ''Let's go and tell Olivia.''

* * *

The Doctor and Jimmy strolled up to Olivia, who remained sat on the bench.

''I fixed it!'' the Doctor said, ''We'll be on our way home soon!''

''Oh, great!'' Olivia said.

''You OK?'' Jimmy asked.

''Yeah,'' Olivia replied, ''My phone got connected. There's this Cybus network. I looked up my mum and dad.''

''And?'' the Doctor wondered.

''They're rich!'' she drawled, ''Apparently they've got this massive mansion.''

''What about you?'' the Doctor asked.

''Yeah, they've got me as well. Apparently she's called 'Lydia' here.''

''And that's exactly why you need to stay away.''

''I wanna see them,'' Olivia decided.

''I can't let you!'' the Doctor insisted.

''I just wanna see how they live!'' she argued, ''See how different it is to me!''

''It's a massive risk!'' the Doctor exclaimed, ''Jimmy, tell her!''

Jimmy stood up and began to walk away, ''I've got a few things I wanna see as well.''

''What?'' the Doctor scoffed, ''Both of you, back here, now!''

''Just go with her, Doc, I'll be fine.''

The Doctor sighed, at a loss. He had no idea where Jimmy was going, but knew of the disastrous consequences should Olivia's plan go wrong.

''Meet back at the TARDIS!'' the Doctor ordered Jimmy, running to catch up with Olivia.

Jimmy sighed and walked away in the opposite direction.


	17. Rise of the Cybermen part 2

Jimmy walked down a run-down looking street, seeing an armed soldier checking a car before allowing it through a barrier.

''Can I get past?'' he asked the soldier as another came up behind him.

''Yeah. No bother. Curfew doesn't start 'til ten,'' the soldier said.

''There's a curfew?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Course there is,'' the soldier replied, looking at Jimmy as if he was stupid, ''Where've you been living, mate? Up there with the toffs?''

''Who, me?'' Jimmy laughed, ''Nah, never!'' The other soldier opened the barrier for him to go through.

* * *

The Doctor and Olivia walked through a busy street, talking of the blonde's life before she met him.

''We were always fairly well off,'' she told him, ''Mum's a solicitor, dad's an accountant. So we got good money.''

''What about school?'' the Doctor asked.

''I was alright at school,'' Olivia replied. ''I made friends with Alice, so I was safe. If you weren't her friend, she'd make your life hell. God, they way she used to treat people!'' Olivia sighed.

''What about Jimmy?''

''I never really spoke to him. I sat next to him in one class, and that was only because I had to. I regret that so much.''

''If I had to choose between Jimmy and Alice, I know what I'd choose,'' the Doctor replied scornfully.

''I know but... If I made friends with Jimmy instead of Alice, what would she have done to me?''

''But at least you wouldn't have watch Alice persecute someone every day,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''Watch?'' Olivia repeated as a harsh realisation hit her. Although she had not thought about it since she started travelling in the TARDIS, it pained her to remember that she had not just watched Alice's cruel behaviour. Many times she had taken part in it. Thinking about it now made her feel to her stomach.

''Are you OK?'' the Doctor asked.

''No,'' Olivia replied, her usual confidence gone, ''Doctor, I didn't just stand and watch. I was part of it!''

Before the Doctor could dwell on this, an alarm sounded for a few seconds, and all the people around them froze. The Doctor walked up to a man, and saw that he - and everyone else – was wearing a pair of silver earpieces which were beeping rapidly. ''It's the earpieces,'' he realised, ''It's like they're all connected.''

Olivia's phone beeped, and she pulled it out of her pocket. ''It's on my phone too,'' she told him, ''It's downloading news, international news, sport, weather...''

''And it gets streamed directly into their brains,'' the Doctor realised, an expression of disgust on his face. He took Olivia's phone and looked at it, ''Daily download published by Cybus Industries,'' he read aloud.

The download scrolled to ''joke'' and the people around them laughed out load before going about their business once more.

''Human technology,'' the Doctor commented in disgust.

''Oi!'' Olivia argued, ''Its a parallel world. We don't have anything like that.''

''It's not SO far off your world,'' the Doctor argued, before doing more digging into ''Cybus Industries'' on Olivia's phone, only to find something interesting, ''Oh, look at that,'' he said to her, ''Cybus Industries owns just about every company in Britain, including Attlee and Green. Mr Angus Alison's VERY well connected.''

Olivia gave him a pleading look, begging him to go and see this version of her family.

''Fine,'' the Time Lord sighed, handing the phone back to her, ''Lets go and see them.''

* * *

Meanwhile, Jimmy walked up to a street which was not too far away from where his estate was in the main universe. He knocked on the door, terrified for what would answer. The door opened slowly to reveal a very elderly looking black man wearing a shirt with the Ghanaian flag on it.

''Grandad?'' Jimmy whispered, shocked to see his grandfather, Anthony, was alive and well in this world.

''Jamie?'' his grandfather replied in a very strong African accent.

''Its Jimmy,'' he replied.

''I thought you were calling yourself 'Jamie','' Anthony insisted.

''Yeah, of course I do,'' Jimmy's voice cracked as the old man pulled him into a hug. Jimmy fought the urge to cry.

''Who is it, Anthony?'' another voice asked. An elderly white woman with a London accent walked up behind Anthony and saw who the visitor was. Both her and Anthony were wearing the strange silver earpieces that everyone else here seemed to be wearing.

''Gran!'' Jimmy smiled, hugging her too. Although his grandmother, Beverly, was alive in his world, he hadn't seen her since he started travelling in the TARDIS.

''Where have you been all this time, Jamie?'' she asked, ''Ever since your mum and dad kicked you out you've just disappeared!''

''Wait, Mum and Dad kicked me out?'' Jimmy repeated. Did this mean his parents were still together here?

''You got kicked out of school!'' Anthony ''reminded'' him.

''Course I did,'' Jimmy said, wondering what this world's version of him was like, ''How could I forget.''

''It's those new friends of yours to blame,'' Beverly said.

''What new friends?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Don't act you don't know,'' she said, ''Your dad said he sees that van all the bloody time.''

''What van?'' Jimmy asked, only to find himself being dragged out of the doorway.

''Jamie!'' his grandparents both called.

''I've been looking for you everywhere!'' the young man dragging him screamed in his face, before shoving him into a big blue van.

''Jamie, you were the one who told us,'' the young man reprimanded him as the van got moving, ''You don't contact your family 'cos it puts them in danger!''

''Yeah, sorry,'' Jimmy said, ''Won't happen again, I swear.''

''I saw them. I taped them!'' the young man announced, ''They went round Blackfriars gathering up the homeless like a child-catcher. They must've took four dozen.''

''The vans were hired out to a company called 'International Electromatics','' the woman driving the van explained, ''But I did a protocol search... turns out that's a dummy company established by guess who?''

''Who?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Cybus Industries,'' they both said.

''And now we've got evidence!'' the young man cheered. Jimmy looked around nervously. Whatever this world's version of him was up to, it was dangerous.

* * *

The van pulled up outside an abandoned building. The young man, Jake, hopped out of the back, followed by Jimmy.

''There's a light on,'' Jake noted, ''There's someone inside the base,'' he turned to the woman, ''Mrs Moore - we've got visitors.''

Jake, Mrs Moore, and Jimmy sneaked down the side of the building, crouching at the front door.

''One... two... three... go!'' Jake called, and the three burst in, guns pointed at the intruder.

''What the hell are you doing?'' the intruder, who looked and sounded just like Jimmy, spat furiously. Jake and Mrs Moore looked between Jimmy and the ''other'' Jimmy.

''What're you doing there?!'' Jake questioned the other Jimmy.

''What am I doing HERE?'' the other Jimmy snarled furiously, before pointing at Jimmy, ''What am I doing THERE?'' Jake and Mrs Moore turned their guns at Jimmy.


	18. Rise of the Cybermen part 3

The Doctor and Olivia watched from a distance as expensive car after expensive car pulled up outside the mansion her father seemingly owned.

''Why so many visitors?'' the Doctor questioned.

''I suppose if Dad got promoted, and he's running one of the biggest firms in the country, they wanna get all their rich mates over for a party,'' Olivia reasoned.

''Given the guest list, I wouldn't mind a look,'' the Doctor noted.

''But we can't get in,'' Olivia pointed out, ''If they've already got a daughter who looks just like me then the psychic paper's not much good.''

''Hmm,'' the Doctor mused, before an idea came up, ''Give me your TARDIS key,'' he told the blonde. She did so, and the Doctor took out his own key. He studied the keys for a second before getting to work.

* * *

Olivia was surprised that the Doctor's plan had worked. He had modified both their TARDIS keys so that they would stop people noticing them. As long as they did not draw any attention to themselves, it would be impossible for anyone to notice them. The Doctor called it a perception filter.

Olivia watched as Lydia, the other version of her, danced with the attractive son of one of her father's colleagues, only for a waitress to bump into her.

''Watch where you're going, idiot!'' the other her snapped. She didn't have a London accent like Olivia did, instead having a posh drawl that sounded almost identical to Alice.

''I'm sorry,'' the waitress murmured.

''You should be,'' Lydia commented with a smirk, ''You couldn't afford a dress like this, so be glad it didn't get dirty.''

Olivia shook her head as the waitress walked away, shocked at the person she'd turned out to be in this world.

''She's not you,'' the Doctor said quietly next to her, ''It's a different world. People turn out differently. It doesn't have any bearing on you.''

''I know, but...'' she sighed, thinking about her discussion with the Doctor earlier, about the fact that she had taken part in bullying people with Alice at school.

''Apparently,'' the Doctor began, wanting to brighten Olivia up, ''That man there is the President of Great Britain. '' He pointed at an important looking black man talking with this world's versions of her parents.

''What, there's a President, not a Prime Minister?'' the blonde questioned, grateful for the distraction.

''Apparently so,'' the Doctor said as the party continued. Olivia continued to watch Lydia uneasily.

* * *

Jimmy had been stripped to his boxers and tied to a chair, with Jake scanning him. ''He's clean. No bugs.'' Jake reported.

''But that doesn't make sense,'' Jimmy's double, Jamie, argued.

''Well, it could be that Cybus Industries have perfected the science of human cloning...?'' Mrs Moore theorised, checking Jimmy's reading on a laptop, ''Or your father had a bike?''

''And you're called 'James Greaver' just like me?'' Jamie questioned, glaring at Jimmy. He wasn't entirely identical. His face was the same and he was the same height, but Jamie had a beard and was much more muscular.

Jimmy nodded, ''Been called Jimmy since I was three years old,'' he recalled.

''That's funny, 'cos I've been called Jamie since I was three,'' Jamie replied, bending in to get a better look at his double.

''My dad was Joshua Greaver, worked for some building contractors down in Brixton,'' Jimmy said.

''But that's my dad,'' Jamie responded, ''So, what are we, brothers?''

''Be fair,'' Jake reasoned, ''What else could it be?''

''I don't know,'' Jamie answered, ''I don't wanna find out either.'' He drew a small knife from his pocket and went to stab Jimmy in the chest. Mrs Moore stood up and grabbed his arm.

''What do you think you're doing?'' she yelled.

''He could be from Cybus!'' Jamie argued, ''We don't know what they're doing. You said it yourself, he could be a clone! Best we get rid of him before he tries to kill us!''

''Jamie, leave it,'' Jake called, ''We don't know enough about him to kill him!''

Jamie glared at Jimmy. ''There's definitely something going on,'' he murmured.

''So who are you lot?'' Jimmy questioned.

''We're the preachers,'' Jake said, pointing at his ears, ''No ear pods. We don't trust Cybus Industries, and whatever Lumic's doing, we're gonna bring him down.''

''And if we find out this little fuck is one of Lumic's guys,'' Jamie spat, pointing at Jimmy, and gesturing a throat being cut. Jimmy glared right back at him.

Mrs Moore's laptop beeped, ''It's an upload from Gemini,'' she told them, ''The vans are back. They're moving out of Battersea. Looks like Gemini was right. Lumic's finally making a move.''

''Lets go get him,'' Jamie decided. He and Mrs Moore headed off to the van, while Jake untied Jimmy and threw him another set of clothes and lead him to the van. Mrs Moore drove off, tailing a huge Cybus Industries lorry, while Jamie and Jake loaded guns in the back.

* * *

Having gotten bored of the party atmosphere, the Doctor decided to get some peace and quiet. He noticed a computer in a room displaying a projection of the Cybus Industries logo, stepping inside to find out what this vast corporation was really doing.

* * *

Jimmy and Mrs Moore were sat in the van. Jamie and Jake had gone to see where the lorries had gone.

''This is where they were headed,'' Jamie reported over a walkie talkie, ''No idea what this place is. It's like some big mansion. We need to get in there.''

''I've identified the address,'' Mrs Moore said as she typed away on her computer, ''It belongs to Angus Alison. CEO of Attlee and Green.''

''Angus Alison?'' Jimmy repeated quietly. Why was Cybus Industries sending lorries to Olivia's father's house?

''He's listed as one of Lumic's henchmen,'' Mrs Moore continued, ''A traitor to the state.''

''We need to get in there,'' Jimmy said, realising that Olivia and the Doctor may be in there.

''Shut your fucking mouth,'' Jamie shouted over the walkie talkie, ''No one asked your fucking opinion.''

They all heard the sound of a ramp being lowered from the lorry, followed by the strangest sounding footsteps any of them had ever heard.

''What the hell are they?'' Jamie questioned, for he and Jake were the only ones who could see the things making the footsteps. They quickly retreated back to the van.

* * *

''The most precious thing on this Earth is the human brain...'' John Lumic's voice said on the projection the Doctor had brought up.

* * *

Olivia was outside in the mansion's garden, having decided to go for some fresh air. The waitress from earlier stepped out to have a cigarette, but did not notice her due to the perception filter.

A moment later, Lydia and her male friend stepped out, both lighting cigarettes of their own. ''Oh, not you again,'' Lydia giggled at the waitress, who shook her head. ''Got something to say?'' Lydia asked.

''Leave me alone,'' the waitress replied.

''Leave me alone!'' Lydia replied in a mocking voice, ''You speak like an absolute idiot.''

''What's your problem?'' the waitress asked.

''You're ugly,'' Lydia laughed, ''That's my problem. You are really ugly!'' Olivia's mouth hung open.

''Probably why you're stuck being a waitress,'' Lydia continued, ''I don't think anyone else would employ someone who looked like you.''

The waitress began to cry and headed back inside. Lydia and her friend smoked the last of their cigarettes before throwing them away and heading back inside. Olivia sighed. Her parents would never have allowed their daughter to turn out like that. She wondered what had happened here. If Lydia's behavior had been anything to go by, she suspected it was the same thing that happened to Alice. Her parents had allowed her to do, say and have whatever she wanted, with the feelings of others never thought about.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of her, and she heard the sound of loud footsteps. Olivia saw some strange, shadowy figures heading towards her, but couldn't make their shape out due to the light.

* * *

''This is the ultimate upgrade,'' Lumic's projection continued, ''Our greatest step into cyberspace.'' The Doctor cringed as he realised what this meant. The concept Lumic was proposing – removing a human brain and placing it into a cybernetic body - was something he had seen many times before, and hoped he would never see again. The projection showed a man with two distictive handle shapes around his head, and the Doctor realised his suspicions were true.

''Cybus,'' he repeated, racing out of the room to find Olivia.

* * *

Olivia had retreated back into the house and continued watching the shadowy figures through the window. The Doctor came up next to her as the light disappeared and she could now see the figures clearly. It was an army of metal men.

''It's happening again,'' the Doctor murmured.

''What do you mean?'' Olivia asked.

''I've seem them before,'' he told her.

''What are they?'' she asked.

''Cybermen.''

There was a loud crash as Cybermen smashed through the window. The guests whimpered and screamed as the metal men blocked every exit. The President's Ear Pods beeped.

''Mr Lumic,'' he sneered.

''Mr President,'' Lumic said on the other side, ''I suppose a remark about crashing the party would be appropriate at this point?'' he laughed evilly.

''I forbade this,'' the President argued.

''These are my children, sir,'' Lumic insisted, ''Would you deny my family?''

''What are they?'' Olivia asked.

''Humans with all their humanity taken away,'' the Doctor explained quietly.

''Who were these people?'' the President demanded.

''Doesn't matter,'' Lumic argued.

''They're humans augmented with technology,'' the Doctor whispered to Olivia, ''Flesh, bones, organs... Everything except the brain's been replaced with prosthetics and cybernetics. All emotions removed.''

''Why no emotions?'' Olivia asked.

The Doctor sighed, ''Because, it hurts.''

''I demand to know, Lumic,'' the President shouted, ''These people - who were they?''

''They were homeless, wretched and useless until I saved them,'' Lumic boasted, ''And elevated them. And gave them life-eternal. And now, I leave you in their capable hands. Goodnight, sir. Goodnight, Mr President.''

He hung up. A Cyberman stepped forward to address the President. ''We have been upgraded,'' it said.

The Doctor removed his perception filter, ''Into what?'' he questioned the Cyberman.

''The next level of mankind,'' the Cyberman said, ''We are Human Point Two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us.''

''I'm sorry,'' the President murmured, ''I'm so sorry for what's been done to you.'' He turned to the party-goers ''But listen to me - this experiment ends. Tonight.''

''Upgrading is compulsory,'' the Cyberman argued.

''And if I refuse?'' the President wondered.

''Don't!'' the Doctor ordered, knowing exactly what the Cybermen did to those who refused to be converted.

''What if I refuse?'' the President pressed.

''I'm warning you, don't!'' the Doctor insisted.

''What happens if I refuse?'' the President persisted.

''Then you are not compatible,'' the Cyberman announced.

''What happens then?'' the President questioned.

''You will be deleted,'' the Cyberman said, grabbing the President and electrocuting him to death. Everyone in the house started to scream and run around in terror, with Angus and Molly calling for Lydia. Olivia ripped off the perception filter and made a run for it with the Doctor, jumping out of one of the broken windows.

''My parents are in there!'' Olivia shouted.

''They are not your parents!'' the Doctor shouted, ''Come on!'' They tried to run out through the garden, only to run into more Cybermen, forcing them to go around the house. Molly and Lydia ran out of the house, both struggling to run due to their heels. The four tried to flee out of the front gates, only for even more Cybermen to be coming in that direction. Molly and Lydia decided to kick off their heeled footwear.

Olivia saw two people running towards them with guns. As they came closer, it turned out to be Jimmy and another young man.

''Get behind me!'' Jimmy yelled. The four did as they were told, and Jimmy and the other man opened fire on the Cybermen that were approaching them. It had no effect whatsoever.

''Oh Jimmy,'' Olivia gushed, hugging him, ''I'm so glad you're OK.''

''Hold on,'' Jimmy snarled, sounding angrier than Olivia had ever seen him, ''Lydia Alison?'' he sneered at her, ''Get the fuck off me!'' He shoved her away.

''Jamie Greaver!'' Lydia laughed, ''Since when does a freak like him run around with guns?''

''LIV!'' Olivia heard another voice call, and saw Jimmy sprinting up to her.

''That's the other me,'' he said, before hugging her.

''Two Jimmys, and two Olivias,'' the Doctor realised, ''My day just gets better and better.''

''There's more of them,'' Jimmy realised. The group were now surrounded on all sides by Cybermen.

''The name's Jamie,'' Jamie snarled at the Doctor, before pointing his gun at the Cybermen.

''Bullets won't stop them,'' the Doctor warned. Jake tried anyway, firing another round at the Cybermen, once again to no effect.

''STOP SHOOTING!'' the Doctor raged, ripping Jake's gun out of his hands and dropping it.

''We surrender!'' he called to the Cybermen, raising his hands, slowly everyone else did the same, ''We volunteer to be converted. Take us to be processed.''

''You are rogue elements,'' A Cyberman said as more Cybermen marched in.

''But we surrender,'' the Doctor argued.

''You are incompatible,'' the Cyberman told them.

''But this is a surrender!'' the Doctor insisted.

''You will be deleted.''

''But we're surrendering!'' the Doctor raged, ''Listen to me, we surrender!''

''You are inferior,'' the Cybermen continued, raising it's arm towards the Doctor and preparing to kill him and the others, ''Man will be reborn as Cybermen but you will perish under maximum deletion. Delete. Delete. Delete!''


	19. The Age of Steel part 1

There was only one thing the Doctor could try. He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the TARDIS power cell he and Jimmy had found earlier. He pointed at the Cybermen who were about to attack and blasted TARDIS energy at them, disintegrating them.

''What was that?'' Jamie asked.

''Don't worry about that!'' the Doctor dismissed, ''Just run!''

More Cybermen were approaching, but Mrs Moore's van pulled up. Everyone shuffled in except Molly and Lydia.

''My husband's in there!'' Molly shrieked.

''Dad!'' Lydia cried.

''He's dead!'' the Doctor shouted bluntly at both of them. Mother and daughter glared at him, but ran to the van.

''Finished chatting?'' Mrs Moore shouted as they and the Doctor got in, ''Never seen a slower getaway in my life!''

''What was that thing?'' Jamie asked as the van drove along.

''Something you don't need to know about,'' the Doctor sneered at him.

''Has it run out?'' Jimmy asked as the cell stopped glowing.

''It's on a revitalising loop,'' the Doctor replied, ''It'll charge back up in about four hours.''

''So we don't have a weapon, then,'' Jamie muttered.

''Yeah, we've got weapons,'' Jake argued, ''Might not be good for those metal things, but they're good enough for people like them.'' He pointed at Molly and Lydia.

''What have we done wrong?'' Molly protested.

''Oh, you know - just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government. And left Lumic in charge.''

''You think I did this?'' Molly spat in disgust, ''My husband died in there.''

''We've got evidence that Angus and Molly Alison have been working for Lumic since 20.5,'' Jamie revealed.

''Is that true?'' Olivia asked her ''mother''. Molly was still shocked to see an exact copy of her daughter.

''Mrs Moore?'' Jamie prompted.

''We've got a government mole who feeds us information,'' Mrs Moore explained, ''Lumic's private files, his South American operations... the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week.''

''Gemini?'' Molly questioned.

''How do you know that?'' Jamie asked suspiciously.

''Me and my husband ARE Gemini,'' she snapped at them.

''Bollocks!'' Jamie replied.

''Encrypted wavelength six-five-seven using binary nine,'' Molly told them. Lydia, Olivia, Jimmy, and even the Doctor looked impressed. ''Our companies joined up with Lumic to get information. Turned out the only people we were broadcasting to were an old lady and a pair of chavs!''

''Oi,'' Mrs Moore exclaimed, though she hid a smirk.

''How'd you get involved with this anyway, Greaver?'' Lydia asked Jamie, ''Last time I saw you the school kicked you out!''

''So what did you get kicked out for?'' Jimmy asked.

''Possession of, and intent to use, an offensive weapon,'' Jamie replied with a smirk. ''Was gonna stab up some little prick.''

Jimmy and Olivia glanced at each other.

''So how come there are two of you, and two of me?'' Lydia wondered.

''Long story,'' the Doctor replied, ''Lets deal with what's going on rather than worrying about that. I'm the Doctor, by the way.''

''I'm Olivia,'' Olivia introduced, ''And this is Jimmy.'' Jimmy gave a little wave.

''Are you really her?'' Molly asked softly, nodding at her daughter.

''It's hard to explain,'' Olivia sighed.

''They took my husband,'' Molly said quietly.

''We don't know if he's dead,'' Olivia reasoned.

''If he's not dead,'' Molly replied, starting to cry, ''Then he's been turned into one of those things!''

''They're called Cybermen,'' the Doctor told her, ''And get rid of those ear pods. Lumic could be listening.'' Molly and Lydia handed over their ear pods, and the Doctor cancelled their signal with the sonic screwdriver. ''But he's overreached himself,'' He told everyone, ''He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the City and inform the authorities. Because I promise you - this ends tonight.''

The Van came to a stop. ''Look at this!'' Mrs Moore said. The group disembarked to see hundreds of people marching down the street in a trance state, their ear pods beeping loudly.

''What the hell...?'' Jake murmured.

''It's the ear pods,'' the Doctor realised, ''Lumic's in control.''

''Can't we take them off,'' Olivia suggested, walking up to a man who was being controlled.

''Don't,'' the Doctor called, stopping her, ''There's a failsafe. Removing them during a trance state causes a brainstorm.''

''Hey,'' Jake called, as he and Jamie peered over into the next street, ''Come and see.'' The group hurried over to see hundreds of entranced people marching along, the Cybermen marching alongside.

''Where are they going?'' Jimmy asked.

''Battersea,'' Molly theorised, ''That's where this whole thing started.''

''How did it start?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Lumic's dying,'' Molly explained, ''That's how this all started. He started thinking of ways to keep the brain alive while the body dies.''

''Hang on, Doctor'' Olivia began, remembering something, ''Wasn't there a Cyberman in Van Statten's museum?''

''There are Cybermen in our universe,'' the Doctor explained, ''Just like these ones, they started on an ordinary planet, and spread throughout the universe. And that's what's going to happen here if we don't stop this.'' He saw more Cybermen on the march. ''We need to split up,'' he realised.

''Jake, go with Jimmy, you're the distraction.'' Jamie ordered, ''Mrs Moore, you're with that lot. Olivia and Lydia go left. I'll go right. Move!'' Everyone did as they were told.

* * *

Olivia ran into a fork in the road, Lydia struggling to keep up.

''They know where we are,'' they both said at exactly the same time.

''I don't understand, you are exactly like me,'' Lydia noted.

''You're bitchier,'' Olivia jibed.

''I'm not bitchy!'' Lydia argued.

''Yes you are!'' Olivia insisted.

''I never realised how hot Jamie Greaver was,'' Lydia muttered.

''Jamie's a dick, though!'' Olivia pointed out.

''That's why he's so hot!'' Lydia said, ''Your one's not bad either, though.'' Olivia heard the sound of Cybermen heading towards them.

''We haven't got time for this,'' Olivia said, ''Lets split up.''

''WHAT?'' Lydia spat, her face absolutely pale, ''B-but what if they get me!''

Olivia rolled her eyes. It was strange how a different version of her would instead have Alice's personality. Much like Alice, Lydia was a pathetic coward who always put herself above anyone else.

''It's not up for discussion,'' Olivia said, echoing what the Doctor had said to her earlier, before running off in one direction. Lydia hurried off in the other direction as quickly as her stilettos would carry her.

The Doctor, Molly and Mrs Moore were hidden behind some bins. They heard the sound of the Cybermen marching towards them. The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to broadcast a signal which would prompt the Cybermen to move elsewhere. The three stood slowly as the Cybermen marched away. ''Go,'' the Doctor said, and Molly and Mrs Moore crept out from behind the bins. The three ran in the opposite direction from the Cybermen.

* * *

Olivia had managed to evade the Cybermen, running into an alleyway blocked off by a fence. She saw Lydia struggling on the other side of the fence as she ran away from them. The door in the fence was locked, and Lydia realised she had no option but to climb the fence. She began climbing the fence, but it was too late. A Cyberman grabbed her foot and electrocuted her. Olivia watched in horror as her other self screamed in pain before falling to the ground, dead. Olivia glared at the Cybermen before running off.

* * *

The Doctor, Molly and Mrs Moore had regrouped with Jamie. They were waiting for Jimmy, Jake, Lydia and Olivia. Jimmy and Jake jogged up to them, ''I ran past the river. You should've seen it, the whole City's on the march,'' Jake reported, ''Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames.''

Olivia ran up towards them on her own.

''Lydia!'' Molly exclaimed happily, only to realise that it was Olivia, who was dressed very differently, ''Where's Lydia?''

''I'm sorry,'' Olivia murmured, almost sobbing. Molly broke down into sobs, ''She tried, but the Cybermen just-''

''Shut up!'' Molly snapped at her, ''You're not her, no matter what you look like.''

''We don't have time to mourn her,'' the Doctor muttered, ''We have to take back London.''

Molly glared at him, but nodded, and the group continued their journey towards Lumic's base.

* * *

It didn't take long to get to Battersea, and the group found themselves on a hill overlooking the river, on the other side of which stood the factory.

''The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place,'' the Doctor realised, ''To be 'converted'.''

''So we need to get in there and shut it down,'' Jimmy stated.

''But how are we gonna do that?'' Jamie questioned.

''We need a plan,'' the Doctor decided. Mrs Moore pulled out her laptop and brought up schematics of the factory.

''That's a schematic of the old factory,'' she explained, ''Look, cooling tunnels... underneath the plant... big enough to walk through.''

''We can get in there then go into the control centre,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''We can get in through the front door,'' Molly pointed out, ''They're taking everyone for upgrading, so we can just join the crowd.''

''We can't just go strolling up,'' Jake argued.

''Or, we could,'' Mrs Moore said, pulling two pairs of ear pods out of her bag, ''With these. Fake ear-pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd.''

''We have to stop any more people from walking into that factory,'' the Doctor said. He ran up to the edge of the hill, ''Lumic must be transmitting a signal to the ear pods.'' He scanned the factory with the sonic screwdriver, ''There we go,'' he told everyone, ''There's a transmitter on the Zeppelin. Take that out, we give people their minds back.'' He turned to the group, ''Here's the plan. Jimmy and Jake, get into the Zeppelin and take out that transmitter. Molly, Olivia and Jamie, take the fake ear pods and get in through the main entrance. Mrs Moore, with me. We're heading into the cooling tunnels.''

''I'm not going with her!'' Molly shouted at Olivia, who looked hurt.

The Doctor stormed over to the woman, ''Listen to me,'' he said to her, ''It is not her fault Lydia died. Don't you DARE make her feel bad because she survived and not your daughter. You damn well _will_ go into that factory. With her.'' Molly nodded reluctantly, and she and Olivia took the fake ear pods from Mrs Moore.

''Wait,'' Jamie began, ''If I'm going with them I need fake ear pods too.''

The Doctor took out one of the dead ear pod pairs he had confiscated from Molly and Lydia earlier, ''Take these,'' he said, handing them to him. As everyone set about their tasks, the Doctor called ''Jimmy, Olivia,'' the two teens turned back to him, ''If we survive this, I'll see you both back at the TARDIS.'' Olivia smiled and nodded before walking off with Jamie and Molly.

''Not if we survive, Doc,'' Jimmy replied, ''When we survive.'' The Doctor smiled and watched his friends leave, before heading towards the cooling tunnels with Mrs Moore.


	20. The Age of Steel part 2

The Doctor and Mrs Moore descended the ladder into the cooling tunnels.

''It's freezing here,'' Mrs Moore said.

''Well it is a cooling tunnel,'' the Doctor joked. Mrs Moore gave him a look, ''The one humorous thing I'll say in this regeneration, and it's not even funny.'' The Time Lord shook his head.

''I've got these,'' Mrs Moore said, producing a pair of miner's lights and handing one to the Doctor, ''A device for every occasion.''

''Mrs Moore, you are excellent,'' the Doctor laughed.

''A proper torch as well,'' Mrs Moore said, handing him the torch. The Doctor began to move forward, only for the torch light to reveal a Cyberman. He shone the light on to see hundreds of Cybermen lining the tunnels. However, the metal men did not move.

''Dormant,'' he concluded, ''Lets move. Move slowly in case it triggers them.''

Mrs Moore nodded and followed, surprised at the lack of fear the Doctor was showing.

* * *

Jamie, Molly and Olivia watched the factory from afar as hundreds of entranced people marched in.

''Right,'' Jamie began, ''Lets do it. Get the ear pods on. Don't show any emotion.''

''Who put you in charge?'' Molly questioned.

''We don't have time for this now,'' Jamie said, putting his dead ear pods on. Molly and Olivia did the same. The three stood up from their hiding place, heading off to join the line of people walking mindlessly into the building.

* * *

Jake and Jimmy climbed to the roof of building where the Zeppelin was parked, creeping behind a wall to avoid being noticed by the guards.

''Two guards,'' Jake noted, ''We can take them.''

''What, kill them?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Yeah!'' Jake replied.

''We can't, man,'' Jimmy argued, ''They've got those ear pod things. They're being controlled.''

''Who put YOU in charge?'' Jake spat.

''You'd be as bad as Lumic,'' Jimmy pointed out, ''Killing people who don't know what they're doing.''

''Well, I suppose we could use these,'' Jake reasoned, handing Jimmy a small corked bottle, ''It's like a smelling salt, but stronger. One of Mrs Moore's little tricks. Should knock them out. Three, two, one-''

The two hurried out, grabbing the guards and rubbing the ''smelling salts'' under their noses, knocking them unconscious instantly.

Jimmy smirked, ''Lets go get the guards on board,'' he decided, heading up the ladder into the Zeppelin.

* * *

''So how did you end up with the Preachers, then?'' the Doctor asked Mrs Moore as they crept through the tunnel.

''Oh, I used to be ordinary,'' she recalled, ''Worked at Cybus Industries. Nine to five. 'Til one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly, I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techy, so I... I just sat down and taught myself everything.''

''Is there a Mr Moore?''

''Well, he's not called 'Moore','' she admitted, ''I got that from a book, 'Mrs Moore'. It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids. What about you? Got any family, or...?''

''No,'' the Time Lord admitted with a sigh, ''Only me. So what's your real name?''

''Angela Price,'' Mrs Moore revealed, ''Don't tell a soul.''

''My lips are sealed,'' the Doctor promised.

''Doctor?'' Mrs Moore cried, ''Did that one just move?''

''It's just the torchlight,'' the Doctor dismissed, only for another Cyberman to turn towards him, ''They're active, run!''

The two raced through the tunnel as more Cybermen activated, getting to the ladder at the end as the Cybermen gave chase.

''Get up! Quick! They're coming!'' Mrs Moore called as the Doctor tried to open the hatch above the ladder with the sonic screwdriver, ''Open it! Open it!'' The Doctor succeeded, opening the hatch, ''Get up! Quick! Quick!'' The two scrambled through, sealing the hatch once they had got through.

''Good show, Mrs Moore,'' the Doctor cheered.

* * *

Olivia, Jamie and Molly followed the line through the factory. A Cyberman stepped out in front of Olivia. ''You will wait,'' it ordered, before marching away.

''Chamber Six now open for human upgrading,'' the tannoy boomed, ''All reject stock will be incinerated.''

Olivia watched as a young woman stepped into one of the conversion chambers. The doors closed and a large surgical device descended over the chamber, huge knives coming out from underneath and slicing loudly. Olivia saw a Cyberman's head being lowered in and watched in horror as a Cyberman stepped out of the chamber. Another Cyberman noticed them and marched over.

''You are Molly Alison,'' it rasped, ''Confirm: you are Molly Alison.''

''Confirm,'' Molly repeated.

''You are Lydia Alison. Confirm,'' the Cyberman said to Olivia.

''Confirm,'' Olivia lied.

''I recognise you,'' it said, ''I went first. My name was Angus Alison.''

''WHAT?'' Olivia cried. Even Jamie's eyes widened.

''You are NOT my husband!'' Molly shouted.

''They are unprogrammed. Restrain,'' Cyber-Angus said. Several Cybermen stepped forward and grabbed them.

''You can't be him,'' Molly cried.

''Now. I am Cyber-form,'' it intoned, ''Once I was Angus Alison. His brain is inside this body.

''We came to save you,'' Molly sobbed.

''This woman worked with Cybus Industries to create our species. She will be rewarded by force,'' Cyber-Angus decided, ''Take them to Cyber Control.''

He marched away, and the Cybermen started dragging the three off to Cyber Control.

''They've killed him,'' Molly sobbed. Olivia felt like crying too. She knew it wasn't really her father, but seeing that Cyberman almost felt like someone she loved really had died.

* * *

''Nice one,'' Jake called as he and Jimmy brought down another guard, storming into the Zeppelin's control room, ''Nobody's home. Find the transmitter controls.''

Jimmy nodded and began to look around, only to see a Cyberman standing in the corner.

''Cyberman!'' Jake panicked, pointing his gun at the metal giant.

''That didn't work last time, did it?'' Jimmy pointed out, stepping towards the Cyberman, which was making no effort to attack them. He tapped the head gently, finding it to be empty, ''It's just on display. It's not real.''

''Okay,'' Jake said uneasily, ''Transmitter.'' The two resumed their search for the transmitter.

* * *

The Doctor and Mrs Moore crept through a corridor, when a Cyberman stepped out in front of them. ''You are not upgraded,'' it stated.

''Yeah? Well, upgrade THIS,'' Mrs Moore spat, hurling a small metal device at the Cyberman, who screamed in pain before collapsing.

''What was that?'' the Doctor questioned, very impressed.

''Electromagnetic bomb,'' she explained, ''Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the cyber-suit.''

''You weren't wrong,'' the Doctor commented with a smirk, ''Now let's see what we're up against.'' He bent down and held the sonic screwdriver to the Cybus Industries logo on the Cyberman's chest, removing it, ''Heart of steel,'' the Doctor noted, showing Mrs Moore. He put his hand inside the Cyberman, ''But look,'' he murmured, pulling out what appeared to be flesh.

''Is that flesh?'' Mrs Moore asked.

''Central nervous system,'' the Doctor explained, ''Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing,'' he saw a small electronic chip underneath the flesh, ''Look at this,'' he showed Mrs Moore, ''Emotional inhibitor. This removes the emotions.''

''But... why?'' she asked.

''Imagine the horror of being converted,'' the Doctor explained, ''The pain of it. A process like that would destroy anyone's mind. The Cybermen wouldn't cope if they could feel what had happened to them.''

''So they cut out the one thing that makes them human,'' Mrs Moore realised. The Doctor nodded.

''Why am I cold?'' the Cyberman intoned. The Doctor was shocked that it was still alive.

''Oh, my God. It's alive,'' Mrs Moore said, ''It can FEEL.''

''Oh no,'' the Doctor murmured, ''We didn't kill it. We just broke the inhibitor.''

''Why so cold?'' it repeated.

''Can you remember your name?'' the Doctor asked.

''Sally,'' it rasped, ''Sally Phelan.''

''You're a woman,'' Mrs Moore noted, eyes widening.

''Where's Gareth?''

''Who's Gareth?'' Mrs Moore questioned.

''He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before.''

''You're getting married.''

''I'm cold. I'm so cold,'' the Cyberman whimpered, sounding as if it wanted to cry, but couldn't.

The Doctor sighed, ''You'll thank me for this,'' and pointed the sonic screwdriver inside the open Cyber suit, shutting down it's exposed systems and putting the poor woman out of her misery. ''Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing,'' he murmured, ''That's how we beat them. There's got to be a code keeping the inhibitors running. If we can cancel it, we can shut down every emotional inhibitor. The Cybermen will realise what's happened to them. It'll destroy them, but at least they'll be out of their misery.''

''Yes Doctor,'' Mrs Moore agreed, ''And that way they can't kill anyone else.''

The Doctor nodded, and Mrs Moore stood up, directly into another Cyberman's grip. The Cyberman electrocuted Mrs Moore and she fell to the ground, dead.

''You didn't have to kill her!'' the Time Lord snarled.

''Sensors detect a binary vascular system,'' the Cybermen said as more approached, ''You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis.''

The Doctor glared at the metal men as they marched him off to Cyber Control.

* * *

Jimmy had found a panel underneath which lay the transmitter controls.

''It's sealed,'' he muttered after another attempt to break it open.

''We'll crash the zeppelin,'' Jake decided.

''With us in it?'' Jimmy scoffed.

''We could set it to automatic and then just leg it!'' Jake reasoned, ''Let's have a look.'' He went over to the zeppelin controls and tried to make them work. ''It's locked,'' he stated, ''There's gotta be an override...''

''I'm good with computers,'' Jimmy said, ''I can get in.''

* * *

The Doctor nodded at Olivia, Jamie and Molly as the Cybermen marched him into Cyber Control, ''I want to talk to John Lumic!'' he thundered, storming up to one of the Cybermen. He had seen a lot of people die today and was determined to stop the Cybermen at all costs.

''He has been upgraded,'' the Cyberman reported.

''So just another Cyber-drone?'' the Doctor wondered.

''No. He is superior. The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber Controller.'' All the Cybermen turned to the front of the room, and the wall opened to reveal a vast metal throne, with a Cyberman sat on it and connected into it via various tubes and wires. This Cyberman had an exposed brain and luminous eye sockets, and was obviously higher in rank than the others. Molly, Olivia, and Jamie stood up in amazement at the Cyber Controller, while the Doctor just glared at it.

''This is the Age of Steel and I am it's creator,'' the Controller rasped.

* * *

Jimmy had almost succeeded in unlocking the controls to the zeppelin. ''Nearly there,'' he muttered.

''Not bad work,'' Jake commented. He heard a noise behind him and turned to see what it was. He froze in horror. The Cyberman that Jimmy had thought wasn't real was now active, and was marching towards them.


	21. The Age of Steel part 3

''It's moving!'' Jake called as the Cyberman lurched towards them. He and Jimmy moved to the back of the airship, ''You said it was dead!'' He pointed his gun at the Cyberman and fired, but it had no effect.

Jimmy looked behind him, and realised he was right in front of the transmitter controls, which he had been unable to break into. He realised that the strength of a Cyberman was just what they needed. Jimmy smiled as the Cyberman lunged at them, ''Come on then!'' he shouted at it, ''Come and get me!'' The Cyberman went to punch Jimmy, but the boy dodged, and the Cyberman instead ended up slamming it's fist into the transmitter controls.

The Cyberman screamed in pain as the controls short-circuited. The Cyberman collapsed, dead, and the controls were destroyed. Jimmy realised that the transmitter must have shut down. Sure enough, he and Jake heard the screams of the formerly possessed humans, and could see them running frantically out of the factory.

''Go on my son!'' Jimmy cheered, hugging Jake.

* * *

The screams of the people fleeing were heard at Cyber Control. ''Ah, free will at last,'' the Doctor sneered at the Controller.

''I have factories waiting on seven continents,'' the Controller replied, ''If the ear-pods have failed, then Cybermen will take humanity by force. London has fallen. So shall the world.''

* * *

Jimmy hacked in to the factory's CCTV and was watching Cyber Control. ''They're alive,'' he breathed, ''The Doctor and Liv!''

''Jamie and Molly too!'' Jake cheered, before noticing the Cyber controller, ''What the hell is that thing?''

''Lemme try and get the sound,'' Jimmy said, typing more commands onto the computer. It took a few moments, but he was able to bring up the sound.

* * *

''I will bring peace to the world,'' the Controller announced, ''Everlasting peace - and unity - and uniformity.''

''What about imagination?'' the Doctor asked, ''Or determination? Or will?, Or strength? Or love? All the things that you'd be dead without, Lumic.''

''What is your name?'' the Controller questioned.

''The Doctor.''

''A redundant title,'' it remarked. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken.''

''You believe that living a miserable, emotionless existence with your whole body replaced by cybernetics is _not_ sickness?''

''You are proud of your emotions?'' Lumic questioned.

''Yes I am,'' the Doctor announced.

''Then tell me, Doctor; have you known grief - and rage - and pain?''

''Yes I have.''

''And they hurt?''

''Of course they do,'' he sighed.

''I could set you free,'' the Controller offered, ''Would you not want that? A life without pain?''

''You might as well kill me.''

''Then I take that option.''

''I'm not one of your drones, Controller,'' the Doctor snarled, ''You don't get to decide when I, or anyone else dies.''

''You have no means of stopping me,'' the Controller insisted, ''I have an army. A species of my own.''

''An army means nothing,'' the Doctor dismissed, ''The right person in the right place, at the right time, could topple the most powerful force in the universe.'' He looked up at a camera, ''It could be anyone. Some ordinary idiot. Some freak.'' He looked up again, hoping Jimmy had got the message.

* * *

''Freak!'' Jimmy repeated, realising that the Doctor was secretly addressing him using the name Alice used to call him.

''Even the right word can bring down an empire,'' the Doctor continued, ''Or the right number. Or even the right code. Like the Cyber inhibitor code. Anyone could figure that out. You don't need to be a computer expert.'' He smirked at the camera once more. Olivia, Molly and Jamie realised he was up to something.

Jimmy realised too, and swiftly got to work, typing away busily trying to crack the inhibitor code.

''It's not difficult to pass all those encryptions,'' the Doctor ranted, ''Especially that encryption in the Lumic family database, using what was it, Molly? Binary something or other?'' He turned to her.

''Binary 9!'' Molly supplied. Jimmy smiled and tried that, watching as the digits started to appear on the screen.

''Anyone could find that code!'' the Doctor encouraged, ''Especially to save his friends!''

''Your words are irrelevant,'' the Controller sneered.

''If you want to know about people having irrelevant, you should talk to Olivia,'' he remarked, turning to the girl, ''Her and Jimmy never stop going on and on and on. That's why they got that cheap tariff for those long, and I must say very boring chats, on their PHONES!''

''Yes!'' Jimmy cheered. He had managed to crack the code, which appeared on the screen. He realised the Doctor needed him to do something with his phone, which he took out of his pocket.

''You will be deleted,'' the Controller decided.

''Deleting isn't any good right now. Instead of deleting, why not press 'send' instead?'' the Doctor asked, looking at the camera once more. Jimmy nodded, and typed a message to Olivia, writing the digits to the code he had found. He pressed 'send' and hoped whatever the Doctor was doing would work.

''Lumic, I must admit your technology is very clever,'' the Doctor praised as Olivia's phone beeped, ''Making every piece of technology compatible with everything else. Genius!''

Olivia took out her phone and saw that Jimmy had sent her a message, which was a string of random numbers, ''It's for you,'' she called to the Doctor, throwing the phone to him.

''On the other hand, Lumic, maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all,'' the Doctor snarled, catching the phone and jamming it into a port, and watching as all the Cybermen screamed in pain. One particular Cyberman was staring at itself in the mirror, horrified at what it had become.

''What have you done?'' the Controller screeched furiously, although it was clearly in pain as well.

''I made them feel,'' the Doctor shouted, ''They know what they now, and it's destroying them!'' He, Molly, Olivia and Jamie bolted out of the room as the Controller screamed after them. They tried to get out of an emergency exit, only to find more screaming Cybermen in front of them. ''There's no way out!'' the Doctor realised.

* * *

Jake began to turn the wheel of the zeppelin to fly them away.

''What're you doing?'' Jimmy snapped.

''We've gotta get away,'' Jake shouted, ''If that factory blows up, this balloon's gonna ignite!''

''We can't leave them behind!'' Jimmy argued.

''Jimmy, they've had it!'' Jake insisted.

''We're taking it back!'' Jimmy said, shoving Jake aside and steering the airship himself, ''I am NOT leaving them behind!'' He phoned Olivia and handed the phone to Jake, ''Hold it!'' he commanded. Jake did so and held the phone to Jimmy's ear while he controlled the zeppelin. ''Liv! All of you! Go to the roof, now!'' he ordered them over Olivia's phone.

''It's Jimmy,'' Olivia said to the others, ''He says go to the roof!'' The group did so, managing to get to get up onto the roof only seconds before the stairs were engulfed in flames. They saw the zeppelin above. ''How did you learn to fly that?'' Olivia asked Jimmy over the phone.

''I didn't,'' Jimmy laughed grimly. Olivia laughed too in spite of herself, before her and the others hurried towards the zeppelin, flinching at the explosions around them.

''You can't go any lower,'' Jake shouted, trying to take the wheel from Jimmy.

''I have to!'' Jimmy argued.

''You're gonna crush them!'' Jake pointed out. Jimmy realised this was true. He tried to think of a way to get everyone aboard safely, before noticing something in the corner. ''That's it!'' he cried. He ran over and pulled a lever, releasing a rope ladder underneath the zeppelin.

''You are fucking joking!'' Jamie snapped, irritably starting to climb the rope ladder.

Olivia whimpered. ''I c-can't,'' she murmured.

''Why not?'' questioned the Doctor.

''I can't do heights,'' she whimpered, breathing heavily.

''Liv, you can do this!'' Jimmy encouraged over the phone, ''I know you can!''

Molly looked at the frightened girl, seeing the same fear of heights her daughter had had since she was a child. She walked up and hug Olivia. ''I know you can do this,'' she encouraged, ''And I'll be right behind you every step of the way.''

Olivia nodded through her tears and started to climb the rope. Jimmy pushed a lever and the zeppelin started to fly, making Olivia whimper even more.

''Please make sure all seatbelts are fastened,'' Jimmy joked over the phone, putting a slight smile on Olivia's face. Suddenly, the rope ladder jolted down, making Olivia scream again. The Doctor looked down to see the Cyber Controller had somehow survived, and was climbing up after them. He took the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

''Molly!'' the Time Lord called as the Controller came closer, he threw her the sonic screwdriver, ''Use this! Hold the button down and press it against the rope''

Molly did so. At first, it did no good, and the Controller came closer and closer. Finally, the rope started to weaken underneath Molly, and the Cyberman's weight caused it to break, sending the Controller falling into the inferno. ''And that's for my family!'' Molly spat as the Controller was engulfed in flames. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that this horrific day was over, and they continued the climb into the the zeppelin.

* * *

Jimmy and Jake managed to land the zeppelin, and the Doctor took everyone to where the TARDIS had landed. He ran inside, pulled the power cell out of his pocket, put it into place, and smiled as his beautiful ship came alive once more. Jimmy and Olivia were saying their goodbyes outside.

''So what happens in there?'' Molly asked Olivia.

''It's the TARDIS,'' Olivia explained, ''It's a sort of, spaceship type...'' she trailed off when it was clear Molly did not believe her.

''Are you from another world?'' Molly questioned, ''I heard the Doctor talking about ''your universe'' earlier. Is that where you're from?''

''What do you mean?'' Olivia asked.

''Are you my daughter in another world? Is there another me?'' Olivia nodded tearfully. ''A world where my husband and daughter aren't dead?'' Olivia nodded before Molly hugged her tearfully. ''I have to go,'' Molly encouraged, ''Someone has to tell the authorities what happened here.''

''Are you gonna be-'' Olivia began. Molly shook her head and began to walk off into the night. Olivia sighed and walked over to Jimmy, who was saying his farewells to Jamie and Jake.

''I'm sorry about Mrs Moore, man,'' Jimmy said sincerely, ''She was a great woman. I wish I'd known her better.'' Both nodded solemnly. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and jogged over to them.

''We need to go,'' he said to Olivia and Jimmy, ''The power cell only gives us five minutes. We need to leave now.'' He turned to Jamie and Jake, ''Listen to me, both of you. Mrs Moore's real name was Angela Price. She has a family out there somewhere. Find them. Tell them her story. Make sure they know she died saving the world.''

Both nodded. ''Yeah, course we will,'' Jake promised.

''And take Olivia's phone,'' the Doctor ordered, handing it to Jamie, ''It's got the code. Lumic had factories all over the world. There are still Cybermen out there. Get that code out there and destroy them. And good luck.'' He nodded at them both, before heading back into the TARDIS. Jimmy shook hands with Jamie and Jake while Olivia hugged them both goodbye. The two headed back into the TARDIS. The Doctor set the ship into flight, and watched Jamie and Jake's shocked reactions over the scanner.

''I wanna go see my parents,'' Olivia said, ''Just so I can see they're OK.''

''Alright,'' the Doctor sighed, setting the coordinates for present-day earth. He knew how horrific today had been for the blonde, and was eager to make sure she was OK.

* * *

When the TARDIS came to a halt, Olivia ran out, running all the way to her house with the Doctor and Jimmy following. She knocked on the door, and when her father answered the door, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

''Who is it?'' her mother said, coming into the hallway.

''Mum!'' Olivia sobbed, pulling her into the hug.

''Where did you go?'' Angus asked the Doctor.

''Somewhere... far away,'' the Doctor mused, looking at Angus uneasily.


	22. The Idiot's Lantern part 1

''What do you think?'' the Doctor called as he worked the TARDIS, ''Florida in the 1950s!''

''Oh my god, that would be so amazing!'' Olivia said.

''Chillin' out on the beach without a care in the world,'' Jimmy cheered, ''Sign me up!''

''Your wish is my command,'' the Doctor told them, operating the TARDIS and bringing it to a halt.

''How much do you wanna bet he's ended somewhere completely different?'' Jimmy asked Olivia. Today he was wearing jeans, white trainers and a white t shirt with a dark blue hoodie.

''I'll bet a good amount,'' she giggled. She was wearing white ripped jeans, a flowery blouse and white wedge heel sandals.

The two teenagers ran out, into a street that certainly was not Florida. ''I told you, didn't I!''

''What's the problem?'' the Doctor asked as he hurried out of the TARDIS.

''Doctor, do you have a test to see if you can fly a TARDIS?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Yes, why?''

''Did you pass it?'' Jimmy asked. Olivia giggled at this.

''Erm... no,'' the Doctor admitted. His companions burst out laughing.

''Didn't think so,'' Olivia chuckled, ''Lets go and explore anyway!'' She headed off, the Doctor and Jimmy following.

* * *

They came up to a street in which every house bore the Union Flag. ''We're in England,'' Jimmy realised.

''I wonder what all the flags are for,'' Olivia murmured. They walked into another street and saw a man standing in front of a van as two boys carried a television into the house.

''There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion,'' the man said happily.

''Great occasion?'' the Doctor asked as they strolled up.

''Where've you been living, out in the Colonies?'' the man mocked, ''Coronation, of course.''

''What Coronation?''

''What d'you mean? THE Coronation.''

The Doctor looked confused. Olivia, who had worked it out, decided to put the Doctor out of his misery.

''Queen Elizabeth!''

''Does that mean we're in 1953?'' the Doctor asked.

''Last time I looked,'' the man replied, thinking the Doctor was an idiot, ''Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best.''

''I told you, didn't I?'' the Doctor said to Jimmy, ''I was aiming for the 1950s, and that's where we ended up!''

''Yeah, just the wrong country,'' Jimmy responded bluntly.

''Hang on,'' Olivia began, noticing that every house had a TV aerial, ''I thought TVs were rare at this time. But look at those aerials! Everyone's got one!''

''Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a box,'' the man, Magpie, bragged. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a woman screaming.

''Someone help me, please! Ted!'' the Woman screamed as a man was led out of her house with a blanket over his head, ''Leave him alone, it's my husband!'' The two suited men bundled the man into a car.

''What's going on?'' the Doctor called as a teenage boy ran out of the house.

''Oi, what are you doing?!'' the boy exclaimed.

''Police business, now get out of the way, sir!'' one of the men said, addressing both the boy and the Doctor. He got into the car.

''Who did they take?'' Jimmy asked the boy.

''Must be Mr Gallagher,'' the boy replied as the car drove off. The woman continued sobbing, ''It's happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters...''

A man stepped out of the boy's house. ''Tommy! Not one word!'' he shouted at the boy, ''Get inside now!''

''Sorry, I'd better do as he says...'' Tommy said. Jimmy and Olivia nodded and turned to the Doctor... who was gone!

* * *

The Doctor had attempted to run after the police car. Although it was way ahead of him, the road it had gone into was a one way road, which meant there was no doubt as to where it had gone. He had followed the route it had gone to find... a dead end. ''That doesn't make sense,'' the Time Lord muttered, ''That doesn't make sense at all.''

He went back to find Jimmy and Olivia, who were both annoyed that he'd just ran off without them.' 'What was all that about, Doc?'' Jimmy asked, ''You just ran off!''

''I had to see what they were doing,'' the Doctor pointed out.

''And did you?'' Olivia questioned.

''No,'' he admitted, ''I ended up at a dead end.'' He folded his arms frustratedly. ''Men in Black and vanishing police cars... This isn't right!''

''Why don't we ask that family,'' Jimmy suggested, ''That Tommy kid seemed to know a lot.''

''It's a start,'' the Doctor reasoned.

* * *

Once it started getting dark, the Doctor decided it was the right time to ask Tommy's family some questions. The three strolled up to the door, with the Doctor ringing the bell. The man from earlier answered.

''Good evening sir,'' the Doctor said imperiously, taking a few seconds to decide his cover story, ''I represent Queen and Country. Just here to make sure that her Majesty's subjects are ready for the great occasion.''

''Well...'' the man stammered, ''You'd better come in.'' The Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia did so, stepping inside and walking into the living room, which was very well kept.

''Excellent work!'' the Doctor congratulated the woman who was stood in the middle of the room, ''What's your name?''

''Rita. Rita Connolly.''

''Now then Rita, I can handle this,'' the man interrupted, stepping into the room, ''This gentleman's a proper representative!'' He looked at Rita, ''Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit.''

The Doctor looked between Rita and her husband, ''There's nothing wrong with that,'' with just a tiny bit of venom laced in his tone of voice, ''However, there is something wrong with the fact that those flags are not flying.''

''There we are Rita,'' the man said, ''I told you. Get them up, Queen and country!''

''Excuse me, Mr Connolly,'' the Doctor began, an even more intimidating tone to his voice, ''You've got hands. Why don't you do it?''

''It's housework, innit?'' Mr Connolly reasoned.

''And?''

''It's womans work!''

''What gender is the Queen, Mr Connolly?'' the Doctor questioned.

''She's a female.''

''Would you have the Queen doing the housework?''

''No! Not at all!'' Mr Connolly defended.

''Then get to it!'' the Doctor ordered, handing him the flags.

''Right, yes sir,'' Mr Connolly said, getting to work, ''You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right and centre!''

The Doctor and his companions sat on the sofa, while Rita and Tommy remained standing, ''I'm the Doctor. This is Jimmy and Olivia.''

''Hi,'' Olivia said to to Tommy, who was very attractive. She gave him a wide smile.

''H-hello,'' Tommy stammered, looking at the beautiful blonde in front of him, ''I'm Tommy.''

''Nice to meet you, Tommy,'' Olivia giggled. The Doctor could have sworn he heard something akin to growling from Jimmy.

''Have a seat, you two!'' the Doctor told Tommy and Rita, ''It is your house. They both smiled and sat down in front of the television. Jimmy was not happy to see Tommy sat next to Olivia. The Doctor turned to Rita, ''What's going on on this street?'' he questioned her seriously.

''Did you say you were a doctor?'' Rita questioned. The Doctor nodded, ''Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?''

''Now then Rita,'' Mr Connolly interrupted, ''I don't think the gentleman needs to know-''

''Yes I do!'' the Doctor cut him off, not even bothering to look up at the man.

Rita began to cry. ''What is it?'' Olivia pressed, ''Tell us. We can help.'' Rita began to sob loudly.

''Hold on a minute!'' Mr Connolly shouted, ''Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house!'' He threw the flags down. The Doctor stood up, sensing a confrontation. ''What the- what the hell am I doing?'' Mr Connolly continued to rant, storming over to the Doctor, ''Now you listen here, Doctor! You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business!''

''But people are being-'' the Doctor began, striding up to Mr Connolly.

''I am talking!'' Mr Connolly shouted in the Doctor's face. That had been a mistake. A second later, Mr Connolly was lifted high above the ground and pinned against the wall by the Doctor.

''I don't care if you're talking, Mr Connolly,'' the Doctor rasped menacingly, ''I came here for answers and I'm damn well going to get them, and if you try to stop me...'' he gave Mr Connolly a menacing grin, before letting go and watching the man drop to the floor with a _thud._ Everyone else was looking at him, shocked. Then, they heard the sound of banging from upstairs. ''What's that?'' the Doctor asked Rita.

''She won't stop,'' Mr Connolly uttered fearfully, still on the ground, ''She never stops.''

''We started hearing stories, all round the place,'' Tommy explained, ''People who've... changed. Families keeping it secret 'cause they were scared. The police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just... turn up, come to the door and take 'em. Any time of the day or night.''

''Show me,'' the Doctor ordered. Tommy nodded and lead the group upstairs. He took them into one of the rooms, which was completely dark.

''Gran?'' Tommy said cautiously, ''It's Tommy. 'S all right Gran, I've brought help.''

The others stepped inside to see what appeared to be an ordinary elderly woman. The Doctor turned on the light to reveal the old lady looking right at them.

With no face.

* * *

 **Guest - Thanks for the review. As for doing Series 3, I'm not sure yet. I know of how this story will end and where everything can go from there, but it depends on how much time I have and what the reception to this story is like.**

 **Authors note: The Alt!10th Doctor is a dark Doctor, and we'll see a real example of nasty behaviour from him in the next chapter, which many of you may find controversial.**


	23. The Idiot's Lantern part 2

It did not seem possible. All of Tommy's gran's facial features were gone. No eyes, no nose, no mouth. Her face was entirely blank, ''That's not possible,'' the Doctor murmured, walking up to the woman and scanning her with his sonic screwdriver, ''Scarcely an electrical impulse left. No thoughts. No activity. Nothing.''

''What're we gonna do, Doctor?'' Tommy wondered, ''We can't even feed her!''

He turned to his friends, ''That is not human.'' Jimmy and Olivia nodded in agreement. Suddenly, they heard a crash from downstairs. The police had arrived.

''It's them, they've come for her!'' Rita cried.

''How did this happen?'' the Doctor asked Tommy, ''What was she doing?''

''I can't think!'' Tommy stuttered, ''She doesn't leave the house! She was just...'' Before he could finish, a large, burly man stormed into the room, with two supporting officers behind him. The Doctor got ready to attack, sensing another confrontation.

''Lay one hand on that woman...'' the Doctor snarled menacingly, ''And you won't be leaving this house.''

The man went to punch the Doctor, but the Time Lord dodged. Jimmy and Olivia watched as the Doctor began to engage the man in combat. Unfortunately, this provided enough distraction for the other men to grab Tommy's gran and start leading her down the stairs.

''Leave her alone!'' Rita protested, but the officers shoved her aside and fled down the stairs, Mr Connolly ushering them out. Rita, Tommy and Jimmy followed the men downstairs.

''Back inside, Rita!'' Mr Connolly ordered, blocking the door as the men bundled Tommy's gran into the car.

''She's my mother!'' argued Rita.

''Back inside now, I said!'' Mr Connolly insisted.

The Doctor delivered a kick to the large man's stomach, making him stagger back. Sensing that he would not win this fight, the man fled downstairs, shoving past Jimmy, Tommy, Rita and Mr Connolly and getting into the car. The Doctor gave chase, with Olivia struggling to keep up due to her heels. By the time the Doctor got to the door, the car had already driven off. Tommy tried to step out, but was once again blocked.

''Don't fight it, back inside!'' Mr Connolly shouted. The Doctor and Jimmy pushed past him.

''Liv, hurry up!'' Jimmy called. Olivia got downstairs and was about to leave, only to notice a strange red energy around the television. She went up to have a closer look.

''We need transport,'' the Doctor realised. He saw a car coming up and had an idea.

''Liv, come on!'' Jimmy shouted. Olivia watched as the tendrils of energy disappeared.

The Doctor stood out in front of the car and it stopped. The Doctor went up to the car, opened the door, and physically ripped the driver out.

''Doctor, what are you doing?'' Jimmy protested.

''Get in!'' the Doctor shouted, leaving no room for discussion. Jimmy did so, and the Doctor drove off, chasing the police car.

* * *

Olivia went up to the television and looked behind it, seeing the same energy coming from behind as well.

''How did they find her?'' Tommy wondered, ''Who told 'em?''

''You!'' Mr Connolly shouted at Olivia, ''Get the hell out of my house!''

Olivia walked up to Mr Connolly and gave him a kick to the shin with her heel. ''Bye,'' she muttered as he winced in pain. She gave Tommy and Rita another grin before leaving.

* * *

The Doctor and Jimmy chased the police car in the stolen vehicle, arriving at the same dead end they ended up at last time, ''Genius,'' the Time Lord muttered grimly, realising what had happened. He and Jimmy got out of the car and looked for another way in. The Doctor found a small gate and let them in with his sonic screwdriver. As the two stepped inside, they saw a policeman and the large man from earlier locking up some gates. Once they had left, the Doctor and Jimmy walked over and saw that it was a huge cage filled with faceless humans, one of which was Tommy's gran.

''This is mad,'' Jimmy whispered. The faceless were clenching and unclenching their fists in an almost automated manner. The Doctor broke in with the sonic screwdriver, wanting to get a closer look. As the two stepped into the cage, observing the captives, the faceless began to shuffle towards them slowly, surrounding them and backing them against the back of the cage. ''Now we're in trouble,'' Jimmy realised.

Suddenly, a bright light flared on. The Doctor and Jimmy turned to see the policeman and the large man, standing in front of their car, which had the headlights on.

''Stay where you are!'' the policeman shouted.

* * *

Olivia stepped into the shop of Magpie, the man who was selling the televisions earlier.

''Oh, I, I'm sorry miss, I'm afraid you're too late,'' Magpie stammered, ''I was just about to lock the door.''

''Not got time to sell me a telly?'' the blonde giggled.

''Come back tomorrow,'' Magpie insisted, ''Please.''

''You're closed tomorrow,'' she countered.

''What?''

''The coronation?''

''Yes, yes, of course,'' Magpie concurred, ''The coronation.'' He studied her nervously, ''I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go.''

''Why are you trying to make me leave?'' She strolled up to the counter.

''I have my reasons.''

''Hungry! Hungry!'' a voice called. Olivia turned to see a woman on one of Magpie's televisions.

''What is that?'' she asked.

''It's just a television,'' Magpie answered, ''One of these modern programmes. Now, I really do think you should leave! Right now!''

''Thing is,'' Olivia started as Magpie tried to walk her to the door, ''Why are you selling these things so cheap.''

''It's my patriotic duty,'' Magpie answered, ''Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud! Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching! Imagine that!'' Olivia could tell he was hiding something. ''And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh?'' Magpie reasoned, ''So why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day?''

''What are you hiding, Magpie?'' Olivia asked.

''I need to close,'' Magpie said.

''I saw this weird, red energy coming out of one of your tellies,'' Olivia told him, ''What do you know about it?''

''I knew this would happen,'' he realised locking the door, ''I knew I'd be found out.''

''What's going on?'' Olivia questioned nervously, ''Why are you doing this?''

''For some peace,'' Magpie murmured.

''From what?''

''From her.'' He glanced at the programme with the woman.

''What a pretty little girl,'' the woman on the television said.

''Do you mean me?'' Olivia asked.

''Yes - I'm talking to you _,_ little one,'' the woman replied, ''Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?''

''What are you?''

''I'm the Wire,'' she introduced, ''And I'm hungrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy...!'' Red energy shot out from the television, enveloping Olivia's face.

''Help me!'' she called to Magpie, terrified.

''Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dear,'' Magpie whispered sadly, ''All sitting down to watch the coronation. Twenty million people. Things will never be the same.''

''MAGPIE, PLEASE!'' the blonde cried, though she felt herself becoming weaker and weaker.

''I'm sorry. So sorry,'' Magpie said. Olivia moaned slightly, feeling more and more dizzy, before everything finally went black.

* * *

''Start from the beginning, tell me everything you know,'' the policeman, Detective Inspector Bishop, said as he stood over the Doctor and Jimmy, who were seated.

''Well, I know that you're an idiot,'' the Doctor replied, giving him a nasty grin. Jimmy sniggered at this.

''Don't get clever with me,'' Bishop shouted, ''You were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Now, you're connected with this. Make no mistake.''

''Detective Inspector Bishop-'' the Doctor began, but he was interrupted.

''How do you know my name?'' Bishop questioned suspiciously.

''It's written inside your collar, idiot!''

Bishop glared at him and adjusted his collar.

''Detective Inspector Idiot,'' the Doctor continued, ''I don't know how you got to the rank of Detective Inspector. You aren't doing very well at it.''

''I'm doing everything in my power,'' Bishop protested.

''Grabbing people and hiding them while not doing anything about the problem?'' the Doctor scoffed, ''Any time you wish to stop proving to me that you're an idiot, feel free.''

''Be fair,'' Jimmy reasoned, ''The coronation's coming up. They can't afford to be seen dealing with trouble right now. All they can really do is hide these guys.''

''The nation has an imagine to maintain,'' Bishop agreed.

''But do you want to investigate?'' the Doctor asked.

''Course I do. But...'' he sighed and sat facing the Doctor and Jimmy, ''With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the man-power. Even if we did... this is... beyond anything we've ever seen. I just don't know anymore. Twenty years on the force... I don't even know where to start. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on.''

''I could change that,'' the Doctor suggested.

''How?''

The Time Lord stood up, ''Start from the beginning. Tell us everything you know.''

Bishop stood up and led them to a map, ''We started finding them about a month ago,'' he explained, ''Persons left sans visage. Heads just... blank.''

''Any links between them?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Yes, spreading out from North London,'' Bishop explained, ''All over the City. Men, women, kids... grannies... the only REAL lead is there's been quite a large number in...''

''Florizel Street,'' the Doctor finished for him, having read a file on Bishops's desk. There was a knock at the door.

''Found another one, sir,'' an officer said, bringing another faceless person under a blanket. This one was was wearing a very distinctive pair of white jeans and wedge sandals on her feet.

''Oh no,'' the Doctor murmured, realising at once who it was.

''Take a good look. See what you can deduce,'' Bishop said as the blanket was removed. There was no doubt as to who this person was – or rather, who it used to be.

''No, no, no, no, no, no,'' Jimmy repeated, ''It can't be her.''

''It is,'' the Doctor said solemnly.

''Do you know her?'' Bishop asked. The Doctor nodded.

''They found her in the street, apparently, over at Master Square, abandoned,'' the officer told Bishop.

''That's unusual, that's the first one out in the open,'' Bishop mused, though neither the Doctor nor Jimmy were listening, ''Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day, we'll have Torchwood on our back, make no mistake.''

''They took her face and just left her?'' Jimmy spat, feeling a fury he had never felt before coming over him.

''Yes,'' the officer acknowledged.

''Right, Doctor,'' Jimmy began, ''Lets make a move. We're gonna find out who did this... And I'm going to kill them.''

The Doctor nodded, and he, Jimmy and Bishop began to move out. They stepped to find it was already daylight.

''The big day dawns,'' Bishop commented, though he was ignored. The Doctor intended to use the stolen car, but it was gone. Presumably the owner had found it. They had to walk to Tommy's house to get some answers. Once they arrived, the Doctor pounded on the door. Tommy answered after a few moments.

''Tommy,'' the Doctor began, ''I need you tell me what happened here.''

Mr Connolly ran out of the door, ''What the blazes do you think you're doing?'' he shouted in Tommy's face.

''I wanna help, dad,'' Tommy argued.

''Mr Connolly,'' the Doctor started.

''Shut your face, you. Whoever you are. We can handle this ourselves,'' Mr Connolly snarled, getting into the Time Lord's face. Bishop grabbed both the Doctor and Jimmy by the shoulder, sensing they were about to pummel the man into the ground. ''Listen you, little twerp,'' Mr Connolly raged at Tommy, ''You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round here _respect_ me. It MATTERS what people THINK.''

''Is that why you did it, dad?'' Tommy asked, realising what had happened.

''What d'you mean?'' Mr Connolly questioned, scared now, ''Did what?''

''You ratted on gran,'' Tommy accused, ''How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them...''

''How DARE you?'' Mr Connolly shouted, ''You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?''

''You don't get it, do you?'' Tommy argued, ''You fought AGAINST fascism, remember? People telling you how to live. Who you could be friends with. Who you could fall in love with. Who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could DO what we want. SAY what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even gran. All to protect your precious reputation.''

''Eddie,'' Rita whispered as she stepped out, ''Is that true?''

''I did it for US, Rita!'' Mr Connolly defended, ''She was FILTHY. A filthy, disgusting THING.''

''She's my mother,'' Rita argued, ''All the others - you informed on all the people in our street. Our friends!''

''I had to,'' Eddie stuttered, ''I did the right thing...!''

''The right thing for us,'' Rita countered, ''Or for you, Eddie?'' She turned to Tommy, ''You go, Tommy,'' she ordered, ''You go with them and do some good. Get away from this house. It's poison. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!'' She went back inside and slammed the door.

''Lets go,'' the Doctor ordered Tommy and the others, as they stormed off to find out what was causing this.


	24. The Idiot's Lantern part 3

''Tommy, tell me about that night,'' the Doctor ordered as they walked down the street, ''The night she changed.''

''She was just watching the telly,'' Tommy replied.

''Television,'' the Doctor mused, before noticing all the aerials in the street, ''Why does everyone on this street have a television? It's 1953. Television isn't something everyone has. What's going on in this street?''

''Bloke up the road, Mr Magpie, he's selling them cheap,'' Tommy explained.

''Is he, now?'' Bishop questioned as the Doctor and Jimmy took off towards Magpie's shop. Jimmy kicked the door in amidst Bishop's protests.

''Magpie, get out here, now!'' Jimmy shouted as he stormed up to the counter, ''Come and talk to me, or I'll come in there and kill you!''

''Maybe he's out,'' Tommy reasoned.

''Looks like it,'' the Doctor agreed, looking through Magpie's drawers. He found a device which looked like a portable television, ''Put together by human hands, but not technology of this period.''

''That's incredible,'' Bishop commented, ''It's like a television, but portable. A portable television!''

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver, having found some strange readings, ''It's not the only power source in this room...''

The static on Magpie's televisions disappeared to reveal a different human face on each screen. They were visibly screaming, but their voices could not be heard.

''Gran?'' Tommy whispered, seeing his gran's face on one of the screens, mouthing 'help me'.

Jimmy saw one of the screens at the bottom displaying Olivia's face. He knelt down. Her expression was one of pure terror, and she was silently screaming ''Jimmy!'' over and over again.

''I'm coming, Liv. I promise!'' Jimmy murmured.

''What do you think you're doing?'' a voice said behind him. Jimmy turned to see Magpie coming out of the back of the shop. Jimmy stood up slowly, before charging at Magpie and delivering a devastating hook to Magpie's mouth. The Doctor could swear he heard Magpie's jaw break. Magpie fell to the ground and Jimmy grabbed him again, only for the Doctor to stop him.

''Jimmy, we need answers from him first,'' the Time Lord pointed out, glaring at the fallen man, ''Who's really in charge here?''

''Yoohoo!'' a voice crowed, ''I think that must be me.'' It was a woman on one of Magpie's televisions, or at least it appeared to be. ''Ooh, this one's smart as paint.''

''Is she talking to us?'' Bishop wondered.

''Sorry gentlemen, I'm... I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves,'' Magpie said from the floor, ''May I introduce you to my new... friend.''

''Jolly nice to meet you,'' the woman said.

''Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly,'' Bishop realised.

''It's her image,'' the Doctor explained, ''The signal's been hijacked.''

''What... what are you?'' Tommy questioned.

''I'm the Wire, and I will gobble you up, pretty boy,'' she said, ''Every last morsel.'' The black and white screen suddenly colourised. ''And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow-kind denied me.''

''Good Lord!'' Bishop said, ''Colour television!''

''Your own people tried to stop you?''

''They executed me,'' the Wire explained, ''But I escaped in this form and fled across the stars.''

''And now you're trapped in the television,'' the Doctor jeered.

''Not for much longer,'' the Wire snapped as the screen went back to black and white.

''Is this what got my gran?'' Tommy asked.

''Yes,'' the Doctor replied, ''It's a parasite that feeds off the electrical activity in the brain. But this one doesn't stop there. It takes everything. The face. The consciousness. The personality. It gorges itself.''

''And you let her do it, Magpie,'' Bishop accused.

''I had to!'' Magpie argued, ''She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation.''

''What does that mean?

''The appointed time,'' the Wire smirked, ''My crowning glory.''

''Doctor! The coronation!'' Bishop gasped.

The Doctor nodded, ''Millions gathered around a television set,'' he stated, ''But whatever it is you're doing, it can't be done from here. That's why you need this.'' He held up the portable television. ''This thing can turn a transmitter into a receiver. Genius!''

''What a clever thing you are!'' the Wire mocked, ''But why fret about it? why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me - you'll be glued to the screen.'' Four red beams of energy shot out from the TV screen, enveloping the Doctor, Jimmy, Bishop and Tommy, who all screamed as their faces started to be ripped off.

''Hungry!'' the Wire moaned, ''Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah! This one is tasty. Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!'' It took all of the Doctor's strength and willpower to pull the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. The Wire noticed this. ''Armed!'' she realised, ''He's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!'' The beams were pulled back, and all four dropped to the ground.

* * *

The Doctor woke up groggily. He turned to see that Jimmy had not been robbed of his face. Tommy and Bishop, however, were not so lucky. ''Jimmy!'' the Time Lord called. The boy sat up slowly.

''What happened?'' he asked. The screen displaying the Wire had gone blank and Magpie was nowhere to be seen.

''Where's Magpie?'' the Doctor questioned, stepping out of the shop to see where the man had gone.

''It's too late,'' Jimmy muttered.

''No it isn't,'' The Doctor retorted, ''Because the Wire needs to get somewhere to harvest everyone watching. But where?'' He saw a large metal structure, ''I am an idiot!'' he shouted, ''Of course it chose this place! That building is Alexandra Palace! Biggest television transmitter in North London!''

''What are you gonna do?'' Jimmy asked.

''I need equipment,'' the Doctor answered, heading back into Magpie's shop.

* * *

''Is this what you want?'' Jimmy asked, holding up a small device. The Doctor nodded and took it from him, before placing the handful of equipment into Jimmy's arms.

''I need one more thing,'' the Time Lord said, leading Jimmy out of the shop.

* * *

The Doctor and Jimmy ran towards Alexandra Palace, Jimmy seeing Magpie climbing the tower, holding the portable television.

''There he is!'' Jimmy shouted.

''Lets go,'' the Doctor decided, giving chase.

''Woah, Woah, woah!'' a security guard began, ''Where do you think...''

The Doctor flashed his psychic paper, stopping the guard.

''Oh! I'm sorry sir!'' the Guard said, ''Shouldn't you be at the coronation?''

''I have some errands to run first!'' the Doctor answered, running towards the transmitter.

''Who'd he think you were?'' Jimmy questioned.

''The King of Belgium, of all things,'' the Doctor replied, looking at the paper as they ran into the control room. The Doctor ran around gathering more equipment while Jimmy stood in front of the TV control machine. ''Jimmy,'' the Doctor began, ''Make sure that thing stays switched on!'' Jimmy nodded and the Doctor hurried out. He sprinted up the stairs towards the transmitter, leaving a stream of magnetic recording tape behind him from a reel in his hand.

''You'll get yourself killed up there!'' the security guard bellowed, ''Your Majesty!''

The Doctor ignored him and started chasing Magpie up the transmitter. As he climbed, he heard the Wire's voice coming from the portable television.

''Feed me!'' she exclaimed. Magpie plugged the portable device into the transmitter, and the Doctor watched as vast beams of red energy shot out from it in every direction. ''Oh! Feast!'' the Wire exclaimed, ''Feast... ing! The Wire... is feasting.''

''It's too late!'' Magpie panicked, ''It's too late for all of us!''

''I shall consume you... Doctor,'' the Wire sneered. She blasted her energy in his face, almost sending him falling from the building.

''I won't let you do this, Magpie!'' the Time Lord shouted.

''Help me Doctor!'' Magpie begged, ''It burns! It took my face - my soul!''

''You cannot stop the Wire,'' the Wire cheered, ''Soon I shall become manifest.'' She blasted the Doctor once more.

''No more of this!'' Magpie shouted, ''You promised me peace!''

''And peace you shall have.'' She blasted Magpie, disintegrating him.

''No!'' the Doctor called. He reached for the television, but the Wire zapped his hand. It wasn't enough to stop him, however, and he still managed to pick up the device. The Wire then tried to Zap his feet, but it still did no good. ''Advantage, the Doctor,'' the Time Lord sneered. He plugged something into the device.

* * *

In the control room, Jimmy watched as one of the machines exploded.

* * *

The Wire did not appear to be affected by what the Doctor had done. ''Oh dear!'' she mocked, ''Has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?'' The Doctor just stared at her, defeated.

* * *

Jimmy searched for a replacement to the device that had exploded. He finally found one, and frantically plugged it in.

* * *

The Wire continued to chortle, only for the red beams to retract back into the transmitter.

''Good boy, Jimmy!'' the Doctor smirked.

''No!'' the Wire screamed.

''I'm afraid, we've come to the end of the show,'' the Doctor taunted her, ''Do tune in next time!''

The Wire let out one last frenzied scream before the television screen went black. The Doctor grinned and dropped the device, letting it fall to the ground below and shatter.

* * *

Olivia blinked, her face restored. She was thankful to have been released from that hell. She looked around and found herself in some kind of office, deciding to leave and find Jimmy and the Doctor before anyone came back.

Jimmy was watching the coronation in the control room. ''What have I missed?'' the Doctor asked as he entered.

''What happened, Doc?'' Jimmy asked.

''The Wire was an electrical signal,'' the Time Lord explained, ''I undid her hijacking of the transmission and used it to trap her in here.'' He held up a video tape. ''The betamax video tape. Beautiful piece of technology. Invented 30 years early.''

''Give it here,'' Jimmy said. The Doctor did so, and Jimmy hurled the tape at the wall with the full force of his strength, making it shatter, ''Good riddance!''

* * *

The Doctor and Jimmy stepped back onto Florizel Street, seeing all the faceless humans restored. Tommy was hugging his gran and Bishop nodded at them from a distance. But there was only person Jimmy noticed; a beautiful blonde with a wide smile and big, bright green eyes. He ran up and hugged her, lifting her up and swinging her around while she buried her face in his shoulder.

* * *

Later, everyone was partying outside and having a good time. The Doctor had gone back to the TARDIS, too grumpy for a party atmosphere. Jimmy was bothered by something. ''You OK?'' Olivia asked.

Jimmy shook his head, ''I hit Magpie,'' he admitted, ''As soon as I saw him I just went mad. Then I spoke to the Doctor, and it turned out that thing forced Magpie to work for it. Then it killed him. Imagine how that must have felt. Being forced to do something you hate yourself for, then some idiot punches you in the face.''

''You couldn't have known,'' she countered, ''How could you have known that Magpie wasn't in with that thing?'' She paused, ''Why were you so angry anyway?''

''I heard that it took you and I just couldn't stop myself,'' he admitted, ''All I wanted to do was destroy that thing. Magpie too if I could have.''

''Don't hate yourself,'' the Blonde assured him, ''How many times have we met aliens trying to kill us and then some arsehole human tries to help them? You couldn't have known!''

Tommy walked over to them. They saw Mr Connolly leaving the house and walking away, suitcase in hand. ''Go with him,'' Jimmy said. Tommy looked at him, confused, ''You can make him a better man. ''

''He deserves it,'' Tommy dismissed.

''Yeah, he does,'' Jimmy agreed, ''And he deserves a chance to change. Some people don't get a chance to redeem themselves.'' His thoughts flickered to Magpie. Tommy nodded, giving them both a smile, before heading to join his father.

''He was so good looking!'' Olivia murmured when Tommy had left, wondering if she was succeeding in making Jimmy jealous.

''Whatever,'' Jimmy grumbled, ''Lets go.''

''Wait,'' Olivia said as he started walking back to the TARDIS, ''I can't walk another step in these heels.'' She undid the buckles of her high sandals and slipped them off, before jumping onto Jimmy's back.

''What're you doing?'' Jimmy laughed.

''Well, I'm not walking around barefoot,'' the blonde pointed out. Jimmy rolled his eyes and started to walk back. ''Can you carry my shoes as well, please?'' She handed them to him. Jimmy smirked and started giving Olivia a piggy back to the TARDIS.

Once they got into the TARDIS, Jimmy set Olivia down and handed her the shoes. The blonde tiptoed back to her room with a smile on her face. As wrong as it was for Jimmy to hit Magpie, the very thought that he did it for _her_ made her feel so happy. And then his obviously annoyed reaction when she talked of how handsome Tommy was. Did Jimmy have feelings for her? She sensed that if he did, she would find out very soon.

* * *

 **Right. Next time will be another ''original'' story. This one will be ''Doctor Lite'' with the bulk of it carried by Jimmy and Olivia. There will be revelations about Jimmy and Olivia's past, and the end will feature a massive twist that takes the storyline of Series 2 in a totally different direction.**


	25. The Ship of Eternity part 1

Olivia walked along the TARDIS corridors, heading back to her room when her phone rang. It was Alice.

''Hello?''

''Hey Liv!'' Alice greeted, ''You alright, babe?''

''Yeah, fine,'' Olivia replied, ''How are you?''

''I'm good,'' Alice said, ''I'm having my 18th this Saturday and I was just wondering if you want to come.''

This made sense. More time had passed at home than it did for them in the TARDIS, so it was not surprise that Alice was now much older than her and Jimmy. However, Olivia was confused. The last time her and Alice had met, she had slapped Alice hard across the face and called her a bitch. Then she remembered that the Doctor had wiped Alice's memory of these events, so Alice still considered her a friend. Olivia, however, was not so sure. All the times she had seen Alice since she started travelling with the Doctor, she had seen what a self absorbed and cruel person she was. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go to her party. On the other hand, Alice had been her best friend for years, and as much as Olivia loved life aboard the TARDIS, it would be nice to get a taste of normal life for a change.

''Yeah sure,'' she smiled, ''Your place, right?''

''That's right,'' Alice said, ''See you there, babe.''

Alice hung up. Olivia headed to the TARDIS wardrobe to pick out a dress. Given how much clothing was stored there, Olivia had no doubt she could find a dress which would trounce every other girl at this party. Even Alice herself, whose parents would give her as much money as she wanted for the dress of her choice, would not find something as exquisite as what could be found in the wardrobe.

* * *

As Jimmy watched the Doctor work on the TARDIS, he saw Olivia step into the console room. Jimmy's mouth hung open. She was wearing a short, armless silver dress with matching heels. Although the blonde always wore a lot of make up and always made it look great, this time she had it done to absolute perfection, and had her hair styled into curls. She was wearing her pendant necklace as well, the one Jimmy had bought her.

''You look beauti...'' Jimmy began. The Doctor smirked, remembering a similar exchange back when Jimmy and Olivia had first started travelling on the TARDIS.

''What's the big occasion?'' the Doctor questioned.

''Alice's 18th,'' she answered, having braced herself for the eye roll from Jimmy and the look of disgust from the Doctor.

''Why do you wanna go to that?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Jimmy,'' Olivia argued, tired of this now, ''Alice was my best friend for years. And she's a party girl. For someone like her this is gonna be the biggest night of her life.''

''Frederick Street?'' the Doctor asked her. Olivia nodded, ''Shall we say around 7pm?''

The landing was not easy. ''Doc, what's going on?'' Jimmy asked as the TARDIS shook and jolted.

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted, ''It's like she doesn't want to land.''

''Why, what's stopping her?'' Jimmy questioned. The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. Finally, with a lot of force, the Doctor managed to set the ship down.

''What was all that about?'' Olivia wondered, stepping out with Jimmy after her. The Doctor was about to step out when the TARDIS door slammed in his face. Jimmy and Olivia watched as the TARDIS disappeared faster than they had ever seen it go.

Jimmy decided to phone the Doctor.

''Hello?'' the Time Lord answered.

''Doc, are you OK?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Fine,'' the Doctor answered. ''I'm in orbit. The TARDIS won't let me land in your area.''

''Why?''

''I don't know. Some kind of energy fighting against the TARDIS.''

''That's weird.''

''Don't worry about it,'' the Doctor said, ''Just enjoy yourself tonight and I'll see if I can get back tomorrow.''

''Thanks, Doc!'' Jimmy said, hanging up.

''So,'' Olivia began, ''I know you're not coming, but can you walk me to the party, please?'' She gave him her cutest face.

''Fine,'' he sighed, ''But I'm not going anywhere near that house.''

''Fair enough,'' Olivia said, ''Lets go.'' She held her arm out, and he linked his muscular arm with hers. They walked to Alice's house. ''Thanks Jimmy,'' Olivia said, giving him a hug before proceeding inside. Jimmy walked away, deciding that he was going to spend his night at his fathers house.

* * *

Olivia woke up the next morning in a daze. She had had an amazing night. Almost everyone from their old school had been at the party, with many getting the shock of their lives to see her. Alice looked absolutely stunning in a red dress, but Olivia was without a doubt the best dressed girl at the party, with practically everyone coming up to her to gush about her dress. Many more still gushed about the necklace she was wearing.

Alice had let Olivia sleep at her house, and the two had agreed to go shopping tomorrow. And tomorrow had arrived. Olivia had been asleep on the floor of Alice's bedroom and was still wearing her dress from yesterday.

''Morning Liv,'' Alice said, looking down at her from her bed. She reached for her glasses and put them on. ''Did you enjoy the party?''

''Yeah, it was fantastic!'' Olivia replied sincerely.

''Still up for shopping today?'' Alice asked, ''Or would you rather go out with Greaver?''

''Jimmy's not my boyfriend, Al,'' Olivia argued. Alice smirked and got out of bed.

''I'm gonna take a shower,'' she said.

''I'm gonna go home and freshen up,'' Olivia told her, ''I'll meet you here in about half an hour.''

Alice nodded. Olivia headed home. That way she could spend some time with her parents as well as freshen up.

* * *

Jimmy, meanwhile, was about to go out. He stood in the middle of his father's living room, before looking at the pictures Joshua had on the wall. Jimmy strummed his fingers along the picture of Anthony, remembering the other universe and their encounter with the Cybermen.

''You off already, then?'' Joshua questioned.

''Yeah, dad,'' Jimmy said, ''Wanna catch up with a few people.'' He had figured that if Olivia was going to catch up with her friends, he may as well catch up his. He hugged Joshua and headed off, walking for over half an hour. Finally, he reached his destination. It was a run down street, almost as dilipated as his estate was. He walked up to a black door and knocked.

After a few moments, a slightly large, brown haired girl opened the door. ''Jimmy!'' she cried, throwing herself at him.

''Emma!'' Jimmy replied, hugging her back.

''Come in,'' Emma said, ''Sorry it's so cold. We've had a power cut.''

''Power cut?'' Jimmy asked.

''Apparently the whole street went down.'' Jimmy's eyes widened.

''Jimmy!'' another voice called. Jimmy turned to see Sharon, Emma's foster mother.

''You alright?'' Jimmy called, hugging Sharon. He and Emma went into the living room.

''So what do you do now?'' Jimmy questioned.

''I work now,'' Emma replied, ''I'm a receptionist at a hotel.''

''That's amazing!'' Jimmy said, proud of her, ''No trouble there?''

''Not really,'' Emma replied, before sighing, thinking of the horrific bullying she received from Alice and the others.

''Do you speak to anyone from school then?'' Jimmy asked, before smiling, ''Remember our little group. You, me, Ron and Maurice?''

Emma smiled fondly, ''I don't speak to any of them.''

Jimmy recalled Ron fondly. Unlike Jimmy, Emma and Maurice, he wasn't a target for bullies, but was decent enough to help out when _they_ were targeted. As for Maurice, although Jimmy liked him, he saw him as much as an annoyance than a friend. Unlike Jimmy and Emma, Maurice could not defend himself against the bullies, as even the girls were taller than him, and he was a sensitive child who was intimidated easily. Maurice was the smallest kid in their year, being both short and skinny, had a high pitched voice and cried very frequently. This meant Jimmy often had to protect Maurice as well as himself.

''Where are they now?'' Jimmy asked.

''Ron's gone north to work with his dad. Haven't heard from Maurice at all.''

''I've got his number,'' Jimmy said, ''Do you wanna give him a call?'' Emma nodded and Jimmy placed the call.

After a few rings, Maurice answered, ''Hello?'' His voice was still high pitched, but it was lower than it had been when Jimmy knew him.

''Maurice, it's me, Jimmy!''

''Jimmy?'' Maurice replied, ''You're back?''

''Just for a bit,'' Jimmy answered, ''I was just wondering if you wanna hang out.''

''Well, I'm a bit busy at the moment,'' Maurice began, but then thought of something, ''Unless you wanna help me out?''

''What is it?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Who are you with?''

''Just me and Emma Ciston.''

''Is anyone else coming?''

''I can bring a few people,'' Jimmy said, thinking of bringing Olivia along.

''That's great, mate,'' Maurice said, ''Come and meet me at the site behind Rowton Street.''

''What're you doing there?''

''Can't explain over the phone,'' Maurice told him, ''I'll see you there.''

''OK Maurice, I'll see you soon.''

As the line went dead, Jimmy turned to Emma ''What did he say?'' she asked.

''He wants to meet us.''

''Where?''

''The old abandoned site behind Rowton Street?'' Jimmy recalled.

''Why there?'' Emma questioned.

''Dunno,'' Jimmy admitted, ''When I knew him, Maurice was too much of a crybaby to step foot in that place.'' He decided to phone Olivia too.

* * *

Olivia and Alice walked along the high street, Alice flicking her hair out of her eyes. Alice's blonde hair was now much longer than Olivia's, and Olivia couldn't help feeling slightly jealous. Suddenly, her phone rang. It was Jimmy.

''Hello?''

''Hey Liv,'' Jimmy said, ''What're you doing right now?''

''Out shopping with Alice,'' Olivia replied.

''Wanna come meet me?''

For a second, Olivia thought he was asking her out. She was about give a resounding ''Yes'' when she realised that Alice was right next to her. ''Where you going?''

''I just wanna help my mate out with something,'' Jimmy explained, ''He needs more people.''

Olivia sighed. Of course he wasn't asking her out on a date. ''OK. Me and Alice can meet up with you if you want,'' Alice made a nasty face at the thought of being seen near Jimmy Greaver, ''Just text me where.''

''Alright. See you soon.'' Jimmy texted Olivia where he wanted to meet her, and he and Emma set off.

* * *

Once they reached the abandoned site, they saw what appeared to be police tape. There was a large, red sign saying ''TORCHWOOD – NO TRESPASSING''. They looked at each other uneasily, before stepping under the police tape and walking into the middle of the site.

''Jimmy?'' A voice said from behind him. Jimmy turned to face Maurice who was walking towards him. But Maurice looked unlike how Jimmy had known him. He was still short, but was now muscular rather than skinny. However, whereas Jimmy himself was well built, Maurice was on another level altogether. Jimmy had spent his time on the TARDIS putting a fair amount of effort into working out. But Maurice? Maurice looked like every second of his life since Jimmy had last met him had been spent training. He was the most muscular person Jimmy had ever seen.

''Mate, you look amazing,'' Jimmy smiled.

''Thanks,'' Maurice replied, an air of confidence around him now. He was dressed entirely in black.

''Maurice!'' Emma called, giving him a hug. Jimmy wished Ron was here. He was so happy to see his old friends again.

''Jimmy!'' a voice exclaimed. Jimmy turned to see Olivia and Alice behind the police tape.

''We're not allowed to be here, Liv,'' Alice argued, ''Why do you want to hang out with Greaver anyway?''

''Stop whining,'' Olivia told her, stepping through the line. Alice shook her head and did the same.

''What are they doing here?'' Emma questioned when she saw Olivia and Alice. Maurice looked furious.

''Oi, leave Liv alone!'' Jimmy argued, hugging the blonde.

''How could you tell _me_ to leave _her_ alone?'' Emma pressed.

''Oh my god!'' Alice laughed, ''It's the whole crew back together.'' She looked at Jimmy ,''It's the freak,'' then at Emma, ''the fatty,'' and Maurice, ''And the mouse.''

''YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!'' Maurice roared, and a second later he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Alice, whose smug face suddenly went very pale. Alice threw her arms over her head and started whimpering loudly.

Although Jimmy had to smirk at the fact that Alice had gone from trying to bully them again to being put in her place, he knew he could not let Maurice shoot her.

''Put it down,'' he told Maurice slowly. Maurice sighed and lowered the weapon.

''Where did you get a gun anyway?'' Olivia asked him.

''Shut up!'' Maurice shouted at her. As far as Maurice and Emma were concerned, Olivia was as bad as Alice.

''Lets go, Liv,'' Alice murmured, very shaken.

''No,'' Olivia replied. She had brought Alice here because she had wanted her and Jimmy to stop arguing. Alice was her best friend, but Olivia wanted her and Jimmy to be at least civil to one another. At this point, Olivia was fairly sure Jimmy returned her feelings for him, and if they were able to form something, she did not want her best friend and her boyfriend at each other's throats.

''Why are they here?'' Emma shouted at Jimmy.

''Maurice said he needed more people!'' Jimmy retorted.

''Yeah, but the people who made our lives hell?''

''I didn't!'' Olivia argued.

Emma stormed up to her, ''You're as bad as she is,'' she shouted in Olivia's face.

''I'm not,'' the blonde protested, only for the memory of a particular incident to appear in her mind.

* * *

 _Emma sat on her own, as Jimmy and the others had been kept behind to finish work._

 _''Try not to break that bench, fatty,'' a voice called at her. She turned to see Alice McGowan and her friends in the distance._

 _Emma made a rude hand gesture at them, ''Go away!'' she shouted. Ironically, this prompted Alice and the others to come over._

 _''What's wrong, fatty?'' Alice questioned in a baby-voice, ''No one to hang out with?'' A nasty smirk appeared on her face, ''That's OK. You can hang out with us.''_

 _''I think she'd take up a lot of space,'' Olivia giggled. She was mainly doing it to fit in with the girls, but she would not pretend she didn't find it amusing._

 _''Yeah, I mean what if she falls on us?'' Alice laughed, ''Yeah. Second thoughts, best stay away from us.''_

 _''Leave me alone,'' Emma pleaded._

 _''Leave me alone!'' Alice repeated in a mocking voice, ''Why don't you leave us alone? Go home! No one wants you here!''_

 _Emma looked furiously at Alice, who smirked, knowing she had touched a nerve._

 _''Or do they not want you at home, either?'' Alice continued, ''You probably eat all the food there!''_

 _''Shut up!'' Emma insisted, getting into Alice's face. Only Jimmy and Maurice knew of Emma's home life, and she would not have this pathetic, spoiled bitch make fun of her for it._

 _''Ooh,'' Alice laughed, having not got the threat in Emma's voice, ''Is that how your mum talks to you?''_

 _What Alice did not know was that Emma's biological mother was often verbally and physically abusive towards her. This was the last straw for Emma, who slammed her fist into Alice's cheek, sending the blonde to the ground and sending her glasses flying off her face. Alice started to cry and glared at Emma._

* * *

 _After the headteacher had informed both Alice and Emma's parents, Alice's mother had come straight down to the school from her work. Emma's mother did not, but she knew she would be in serious trouble when she came home._

 _''Why did you hit my daughter?'' Rachel McGowan questioned. Alice stood next to her nursing a black eye and still crying. Although she was upset, she was exaggerating to gain more sympathy from her mother. Thankfully, her glasses had not been damaged._

 _''The things she said to me,'' Emma murmured._

 _''I'm sure Alice was just having a little joke!'' Rachel argued, smiling at her daughter._

 _''She said nobody wanted me here or at home,'' Emma spat. Alice shook her head._

 _''You must have said something to provoke her,'' Rachel insisted, ''Alice wouldn't say something like that for no reason, would you?'' Alice shook her head, but aimed a sadistic smirk at Emma when Rachel's back was turned._

 _''Miss Alison,'' the headteacher, Mr Jones began, turning to Olivia, ''You're the witness. Did Miss McGowan provoke Miss Ciston?''_

 _She hesitated for a second, ''No, sir,'' she lied. Alice smirked while Rachel glared at Emma._

 _''Emma,'' Mr Jones started, ''You're suspended for the next week for an unprovoked assault.''_

* * *

Olivia sighed. She _was_ just as bad as Alice.

''We don't have time for this,'' Maurice interrupted, ''If you lot are here to help then let's get to work.''

''What're we doing?'' Jimmy asked. Maurice led them over to some kind of hole. There was a long ladder inside which had obviously been installed recently. The floor underneath was metal.

''The man I'm working for says we need to get inside there.''

Olivia shook her head, looking at how far down the ladder went. Jimmy knew at once what she was thinking.

''It's OK,'' Jimmy murmured, ''I know you can do it.'' He started to climb down. Olivia hesitated and followed him, then came Alice, Emma and Maurice. Once they had got to the bottom, Jimmy congratulated Olivia, ''I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you.'' He gave her a hug.

''You two make me sick,'' Alice muttered.

''What is this place?'' Jimmy asked.

Maurice shrugged, ''Lets find out.'' He led them all to a hatch and pulled it open. Olivia looked at his muscular arms, which must have been twice the size of Jimmy's. She was shocked at how far he had come from being the smallest, most timid child in their year.

Maurice jumped into the hatch, followed by the others. What they saw shocked the others, but amazed Jimmy and Olivia. It appeared to be some kind of large control room. Jimmy and Olivia smirked.

They were inside a spaceship.

* * *

 **That's the first part of the original story. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	26. The Ship of Eternity part 2

''What is this place?'' Emma wondered.

''Some kind of spaceship?'' Jimmy speculated.

''Spaceship?'' Alice scoffed, ''Don't be stupid!''

''Well, what do you think this place is?'' Jimmy retorted.

''Boss,'' Maurice said into a communicator on his wrist, ''I got in and I brought people. Just like you asked.''

''Well done, Maurice,'' a voice said over the communicator, ''Now all of you get to work.''

''Lets move,'' Maurice ordered. Jimmy was starting to find this whole thing suspicious. Who was Maurice working for?

''I'm not taking orders from a mouse!'' Alice argued.

''Do as I say!'' Maurice commanded.

''Or what?'' Alice challenged, ''You'll start crying 'cos I won't be your girlfriend?''

Maurice and Jimmy grimaced at that particular memory.

* * *

 _Everyone knew Alice McGowan was indisputably the most attractive girl at their school. Even people like Jimmy, Ron and Maurice would acknowledge that the girl they hated was beautiful. Unfortunately, Maurice was the gullible sort. Alice had one of her friends spread a fake rumour that Alice was interested in Maurice, who for some reason did not realise how unlikely it was that a girl who referred to him as a mouse and effectively persecuted him would have feelings for him._

 _Alice had one of her friends say that she wanted Maurice to meet her at the town centre so that he could take her out. Despite Jimmy and Ron's warnings, Maurice had gone ahead, but Jimmy and Ron had agreed to hide out nearby in case anything happened._

 _Alice walked up to where Maurice was waiting for her._

 _''Hey!'' she called, giving him a fake smile._

 _''You OK?'' the small boy called nervously, giving the girl a hug and not noticing her grimace as he did so. He let go of her, ''So where do you wanna go?''_

 _''I don't know,'' Alice said, only for her warm smile to turn into a vicious grin, ''But nowhere with you!''_

 _Suddenly, Ian Roberts, a thug from their school, ran out from behind and pulled down Maurice's trousers. Maurice started to cry. Roberts gave him a slight shove, which was enough to send the weak boy to the floor. Some of Alice's friends popped out to watch, laughing at the sheer humiliation the boy was going through. Some of Ian's mates had come to watch too. Jimmy and Ron realised they could not win against such a large amount of people, but Jimmy vowed to make Alice pay for his friend's humiliation._

* * *

Maurice looked away from Alice, furious. Jimmy saw he was fingering the gun in his pocket.

''Maurice, don't worry about it, mate!'' Jimmy encouraged, before whispering in Maurice's ear, ''Besides, I got the bitch good for that!''

''What do you mean?''

''Bracelet,'' Jimmy whispered. Maurice looked at him, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

* * *

 _A few days after the ''date'' which Maurice was still hugely upset about, Alice walked into the classroom bragging about some expensive bracelet her father had bought her._

 _''It's worth £500!'' she boasted to Olivia and the others, ''My dad got it for me.''_

 _''It's gorgeous,'' Olivia gushed, ''I wish my dad would get me something like that.''_

 _Jimmy, who was listening, decided to formulate a plan._

 _As jewellery was not allowed as part of the school uniform, Alice's bracelet had been confiscated despite her protests, and she was told she could collect it at the end of the day. Jimmy saw this as his chance. He knew that the classrooms did not have cameras and got himself put in detention, sitting himself at the front where the teacher's desk was. The teacher kept a small box full of confiscated belongings on the desk, and when the teacher stepped out of the classroom, Jimmy grabbed the bracelet when nobody was looking._

 _When the teacher sent them away, Jimmy phoned his friend Kyle, who was looking for a present for his sister's birthday. Jimmy sold him the bracelet for £500, handing it to him on the other side of the school fence. Kyle promised to pay Jimmy back the next week._

 _When Jimmy returned to class, he saw Alice sobbing and wailing loudly about her lost bracelet. Since Jimmy had been sitting near the box earlier, he was the prime suspect, but searches of his bag and pockets found nothing. This was the first time Jimmy had seen Alice cry, and the sight of it was sweet revenge for her humiliation of Maurice._

* * *

Maurice smirked, before whirling around and pointing the gun at Alice. ''If you don't want me to blow a hole in you, I suggest you do as I say.''

Alice glared and started to walk on. Jimmy looked at the pendant necklace Olivia was wearing. The one he had bought for her using money from Alice's bracelet. He shook his head and continued.

''What do you need us for, anyway?'' Emma asked Maurice.

''The boss needs someone to get through to the bottom of this place,'' Maurice explained, ''I can't do it on my own. I have no idea what's down here but he needs to get to the bottom.''

''Just get Emma to jump,'' Alice interrupted, ''You'll get to the bottom soon enough.''

''Shut up,'' Emma spat.

''Do you think we should phone the Doctor?'' Olivia asked Jimmy, ''If this place turns out to be dangerous, we might need him.''

''Not a bad idea,'' Jimmy agreed, pulling out his phone and calling the TARDIS. The Doctor answered quickly.

''Doctor, where are you?'' Jimmy questioned.

''I'm still in orbit,'' the Doctor revealed, ''I tried to land earlier but she wouldn't. It's like there's something on Earth that attacks her.''

''Well, Doc,'' Jimmy explained, ''We're in some kind of spaceship underground.''

''What?'' the Doctor questioned, ''How's that possible.''

''I don't know,'' Jimmy admitted, ''My mate's boss wants us to break through into bottom of the ship.''

''What do you think is down there?'' the Doctor questioned.

''I dunno. I trust this guy but I'm not sure about whoever he's working for.''

''OK,'' the Doctor said, ''Keep me informed.'' He hung up.

''This is weird,'' Emma said to Maurice, ''Why does your boss want to get inside here?''

''No idea,'' Maurice admitted, ''All he said was that what's down here will change the world.''

Jimmy and Olivia looked at each other, ''Maurice, who are you working for?'' Jimmy asked.

''Just a man.''

''A 'man' doesn't give you guns and get you to break into spaceships,'' Jimmy pointed out.

''Jimmy, he's a good man,'' Maurice insisted, ''If it wasn't for him, I'd still be the stupid crybaby I was when you knew me. He won't hurt any of us. I promise.''

Jimmy nodded and continued walking. They reached the end of the corridor and came to doors which looked quite similar to lift doors. Jimmy, Maurice and Emma forced them open, leading them to a ramp which brought them to the next floor down.

''Oh my god!'' Alice whispered to Olivia, ''Greaver's got kinda hot!''

''What?'' Olivia had never been so shocked, ''A few years ago, you said he was so ugly, his mum probably tried to push him back in!''

''Yeah, but he's changed,'' Alice argued, ''Look at his arms. He's obviously been working out! And he doesn't have spots any more! Don't tell anyone I said this, but he's hot!''

Olivia felt like she was going to be sick. Although it was true, Jimmy was very attractive, she knew Alice could seduce could seduce him easily. Olivia tried to divert Alice's attention. ''What about Maurice? He's got muscles!''

''Yeah, but he's so short!'' Alice retorted, ''Greaver's tall and he's got muscles!''

''After everything that happened at school, I don't think he'd be interested in you,'' Olivia pointed out.

''I'm just saying,'' Alice insisted, ''He's really taken care of himself.''

''What the hell is this thing?'' Jimmy questioned as they walked up to something. It appeared to be an egg, but was bigger than any egg they had ever seen. ''What could lay that?'' Jimmy wondered.

''I don't think I wanna find out,'' Maurice replied.

''You brought us here!'' Alice argued, terrified, ''What the hell is that thing?''

Something started to emerge from the shadows. It seemed to be a spider, but was enormous, much bigger than a large dog. It hissed at them as it crawled nearer.

Jimmy was frozen in fear. He had never liked spiders. The others were frightened too, especially as another spider arrived.

''What the hell has he got us into?'' Maurice wondered as the spiders advanced on them. The group started to move backwards, but Alice slipped and fell onto her back. A spider started to attack, jumping over her. Jimmy tried to stop this but was then pounced on by the other. Maurice shot one of the spiders in the leg but it didn't seem to do any good. Olivia had an idea. She grabbed Alice's handbag and found a bottle of perfume she had purchased earlier. She smiled and sprayed some at the spider attacking Alice. The creature hissed in pain and Maurice took his chance, firing directly at the spider's head, killing it.

Olivia did the same to the other spider, allowing Maurice to kill it. Jimmy was terrified even after the spider was killed. He had been frightened by spiders his whole life, and thought what he had just been through was quite possibly the most horrific experience of his entire life.

Alice was frightened too. ''I wanna go home,'' she sobbed.

''Let's keep going,'' Jimmy urged, ''We have to find out what's down there.''

* * *

Everyone continued moving. Jimmy decided to phone the Doctor again.

''Doc, we just got attacked by giant spiders,'' he told him.

The Doctor shuddered. He had had some experience with giant spiders in the past, ''How did that happen?'' he questioned.

''I don't know,'' Jimmy explained, ''We found one of their eggs then they came for us.''

''Must have something to do with the ship,'' the Doctor hypothesized, ''That ship must have crashed down there thousands of years ago. It could be spreading radiation into the local atmosphere, mutating life forms. Be careful.''

''I will, Doc,'' Jimmy promised, hanging up. He took off his jacket, unaware that Alice was watching him. The shirt Jimmy was wearing was tight, and showed off his physique very well. Alice smirked slightly.

''Where to next?'' Olivia asked.

''Next floor down,'' Maurice muttered. Even he was frightened now.

''You OK?'' Olivia asked Emma as they walked on.

''Why do you care?'' Emma asked.

''I know I've hurt you before,'' Olivia admitted, ashamed of the person she'd been, ''And I am sorry, but I'm not that person anymore.''

''Bullshit!'' Emma spat, ''People you and McGowan don't change.''

''I'm glad I don't change,'' Alice chipped in, ''I might end up looking like you.''

''I'd rather be ugly than vile,'' Emma argued.

''Well that's difficult, since you're both!'' Alice jeered. Emma shook her head. ''Aww,'' Alice laughed, ''You gonna cry? Better fetch mummy!''

Emma grabbed Alice and swung her around, pinning her against the wall. Alice screamed.

''Emma, chill out!'' Jimmy tried, ''She's not worth it.''

''STOP IT OR I'LL SHOOT YOU BOTH!'' Maurice roared. Jimmy's eyes widened. Emma threw Alice to the ground.

''Maurice, Emma's our friend!'' Jimmy reminded him.

''I'm sorry,'' Maurice murmured, ''It's just... I can't fail this for the boss. Them fighting just makes it more difficult.''

''I know,'' Jimmy replied, ''Lets just keep going.''

* * *

As they entered another room, they saw that it had been overgrown with plants, which had grown through the structural weaknesses of the walls.

''Why did I go with you?'' Alice asked Olivia. She was more terrified than she had ever been.

''Well, we agreed to go shopping,'' Olivia joked.

''Shopping, not sneaking into some hell with giant spiders!'' Alice argued.

Olivia wondered if the Doctor would have to wipe Alice's mind again to prevent her blabbing about this incident. ''Jimmy will get us out,'' she promised Alice. She couldn't help but notice Alice perking up when she mentioned Jimmy. It came at no surprise, though. Alice was very shallow, so it wasn't shocking that she'd become interested in Jimmy when he started becoming more attractive. After all, the same had happened to Olivia, although Jimmy keeping her safe from a Dalek had certainly helped things along.

Alice smiled at Olivia, pushing her glasses back up and starting to walk like her usual confident self.

Jimmy, Maurice and Emma continued to move along, watching out for more spiders or other mutants. Jimmy wondered how long the ship must have been buried here. The next turning of the corridor was blocked by a bush of overgrown plants.

''How are we gonna get past this?'' Emma asked, having grown tired of this ordeal.

''No idea,'' Jimmy answered, ''Looks like we're stuck.''

''Did something just move?'' Olivia questioned, having seen movement in the corner of her eye.

''I don't think so,'' Maurice replied, though he drew his gun just in case. Below him, one of the vines that were growing throughout the corridor somehow extended itself and grabbed Maurice's leg, pulling him to the ground. Maurice shot the plant, blowing it apart with a disgusting squealing sound. Other vines extended, pulling at everyone's arms and legs and flooring them.

''Mutant plants,'' Jimmy commented, ''This is getting weirder and weirder.''

''They're gonna kill us!'' Olivia shouted as a vine wrapped itself around her neck. Maurice, whose arms were very strong, broke free of his vine, grabbed his gun and shot the vine strangling Olivia.

''How are we gonna stop them?'' Emma questioned as she wrestled with the vines.

Olivia thought of using Alice's perfume again. It was still in her pocket. As another vine went for her, Olivia pulled out the bottle and sprayed the plant. It had no effect. Olivia sighed as the vine grabbed her arm, almost pulling it out of it's socket.

Maurice had an idea. He grabbed the perfume bottle and sprayed the plant once more. But this time, he pulled out a small lighter and lit the sprayed part, watching as flames spread through the vine, which let out a squeal of pain. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, there was a growling sound from the bush in front of them, as more vines shot out towards them from the bush. Much to Maurice's horror, there was a huge, plant-like creature roaring at them, clearly controlling the vines and soon starting to extend itself. Alice whimpered at the thing until a vine pulled her down. Jimmy, Olivia and Emma were pulled down, and another vine grabbed Maurice's leg. Maurice sprayed the vine and lit it on fire.

As the plant monster sent more vines at him, Maurice decided what to do. He hurled the perfume bottle at the roof, watching as it shattered, some shards of glass cutting the vines, but also pouring the liquid over them. Maurice forced the lighter into a lit position and hurled it at the vine mass, watching as it turned to a massive inferno, which spread back due to the combustible plant matter. The creature writhed and screeched in pain as it burned. The vines holding onto the others dropped to the ground, dead. The flames went out and the plant creature crumbled apart.

''Maurice, that was brilliant!'' Jimmy praised. Olivia hugged Maurice, whose eyes widened. He had never expected Alice McGowan's just-as-attractive lackey to hug him. Jimmy proceeded down the corridor, giving the plant monster's remains a kick for good measure.

''We're close,'' Maurice deduced, ''We must be near the bottom.'' Jimmy nodded and continued to walk down until the found another set of doors.

''Emma,'' Jimmy called. The girl walked up to the doors, and along with Jimmy and Maurice started to force them open. The group walked down the ramp, seeing a bright light and hearing a humming nose. Olivia and Jimmy instinctively took each other's hands as they stepped through.

As they followed the bright light, they walked into a room filled with generators, which were humming with activity. An old man was kneeling in the centre of the room.

''Boss?'' Maurice called. The old man turned to face them, smirking, ''Why are you here?''

''This is your boss?'' Jimmy asked.

''And this...'' a deep voice boomed around them, ''Is your end.''

* * *

 **How was that, guys? Hope you enjoyed this one. The next one is better though.**

 **Guest - Thanks for that. It means a lot. I like doing these originals as it's more of a challenge to put them together.**


	27. The Ship of Eternity part 3

''What's going on?'' Jimmy asked nobody in particular.

''I am Albert Thorn,'' the old man introduced, ''I was part of the team of operatives who discovered this ship 20 years ago. It crashed here a long time before humans evolved.''

''Whose ship is it?'' Olivia questioned.

''An ancient species,'' he answered, ''The Patori.''

''The most powerful race in the universe,'' the deep voice from earlier declared, ''Or at least we were. A single Patori could suck the life out of this primitive, backwater world.''

''What happened?'' Jimmy asked it.

''There was a cataclysm,'' the ''Patori'' said, ''Billions of us were destroyed. It was before your sun even began to shine. My ship was hurled millions of years into the future to crash here.''

''Why have you been here for so long?'' Olivia asked.

''I cannot leave,'' the Patori admitted, ''Patori ships are marvels of engineering. When low on power, they can absorb any kind of energy existing around them. That was my downfall. You see, in cases of emergency, Patori can transcend their physical bodies and become beings of pure energy. That's what I did when I crashed, and the ship decided to absorb me.''

''My master remains trapped within the ship,'' Thorn explained.

''If not destroyed, Patori can live forever,'' the Patori told them, ''My life force has been powering the generator for millions of years. But the ship wasn't going anywhere. The generator became dormant, leaking my energy and it's own fuel away.''

''So that's where giant spiders and monster plants came from,'' Jimmy surmised, ''Just like the Doctor said. Your ship leaked radiation into the atmosphere. Do you have any idea what you created?''

''20 years ago, my team discovered this ship and reactivated it,'' Thorn revealed, ''My master showed me a new way of living. He promised me a new order as long as I protect the ship.''

''What have we got to do with any of this?'' Maurice questioned his superior. Jimmy secretly placed a call to the Doctor so that he could hear all this.

''You, Maurice, are very important indeed,'' Thorn replied cryptically.

''How'd you meet this cretin anyway?'' Jimmy asked Maurice.

''Maurice was just what I and my master needed,'' Thorn revealed, ''A dejected, lonely little boy who so badly wanted to prove himself to the world.''

''What do you mean?'' Jimmy asked him.

''I gave him the resources to train,'' Thorn revealed, ''To condition himself until his strength was phenomenal. The strength my master needs to conquer this world.''

''Wait, what?'' Maurice asked, ''You said you wanted to see me make something of myself!''

''And make something of yourself, you shall! Your body will be used to conquer this world.''

''The generator is failing,'' the Patori explained, ''Even with the infinite life force of a Patori, the equipment is old. I had to leach power from the ship's surroundings to keep it running.''

''The power cut!'' Emma realised, ''You brought down our whole street to get power!''

''And the TARDIS,'' Olivia added, ''That's why it didn't want to land here! This thing must have tried to leach energy from it.''

''That ship was powerful,'' the Patori agreed, ''With that kind of power I could conquer the universe.''

''Watch what happens if you touch that ship,'' Jimmy replied with a smirk, knowing the Doctor would tear the Patori apart if the TARDIS was harmed.

''Nevertheless,'' the Patori continued, ''The generator will not function forever. I need a new vessel to contain my essence. That's where young Maurice comes in.''

''You used me,'' Maurice spat, sounding almost like his sensitive old self.

''You are part of something greater,'' Thorn countered, ''My master shall possess your body, and together you two shall conquer this planet.''

''What about the rest of us?'' Jimmy asked.

''A Patori can absorb the life force of other creatures to increase it's own strength,'' the Patori revealed, ''The rest of you are dinner.'' Alice paled at this.

''What's your cut in all this, Thorn?'' Jimmy asked.

''I am dying,'' Thorn said, ''I am giving the last of my life force to my master, in the hope that he may use it to bring about a new order.''

''That doesn't answer my question,'' Jimmy argued.

''I have no loved ones!'' Thorn explained, ''I never had. I grew up in an orphanage. I have no wife, no children. I leave nothing behind in this world. But I made this all possible. The new order shall rise because of me.'' He placed his hand on the generator, and a white light absorbed everything he would give. Thorn flopped to the ground.

''What're we gonna do?'' Emma questioned. Alice was whimpering behind them. ''That thing wants you,'' Emma said to Maurice.

''You have to stop it getting to the surface,'' the Doctor instructed them over the phone, ''If it does, it will be unstoppable.''

Suddenly, the generator started to power down, and the group watched as a strange energy poured out from around it. The energy formed together to reveal an enormous, transparent humanoid.

''Come to me, Maurice!'' it roared. Maurice looked terrified.

''Listen to me!'' the Doctor commanded, ''When a Patori takes possession it takes a minute to establish it's previous power levels within the host body. That's the only chance you'll get to free your friend.''

The Patori started to pour it's energy into Maurice's mouth and nose. Maurice screamed in pain.

''Maurice!'' Jimmy shouted, ''We have a minute to stop that thing taking control of you.''

''There's only one thing you can do,'' Maurice replied, drawing his gun, ''It's rooting it's power inside me. It'll take over my brain soon.''

''What do we do?''

Maurice handed Jimmy the gun, ''Kill me.''

''I can't do that!'' Jimmy argued, ''There's gotta be something else!''

''There isn't!'' Maurice raged, ''It's gonna take over my mind. It's gonna take your life force, and when it gets strong enough it's gonna destroy the world. Kill the host, you kill the parasite. Please, Jimmy!''

Jimmy looked at Maurice, tears falling from his eyes. He pointed the gun at his scared friend's head, let out a sob, and fired. Maurice dropped to the ground, blood pouring from his forehead. Maurice was dead.

''I'm so sorry,'' Jimmy murmured, dropping the gun.

''He saved the world,'' Olivia comforted.

''Not bad for a mouse,'' Alice spat, back to her usual self now that the trouble was over. Jimmy glared at her.

''Let's go,'' Olivia decided. Her and Jimmy began to move out, when they heard the gun being cocked again.

It was Emma. She was holding Maurice's gun and was pointing it... at Alice. ''Five years of hell because of this bitch!'' she spat, ''I'm gonna take your life.''

''I'm s-sorry!'' Alice tried, though everyone knew she wasn't. She did not even slightly regret the effects her behaviour had.

''No you're not!'' Emma argued, ''But you will be!''

''Emma, put it down,'' Jimmy told her.

''Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill her!'' Emma shouted, crying now, ''Maurice had to die! She should too! It's not fair!''

''It's not worth it!'' Jimmy insisted.

''GIVE ME A REASON YOU SHOULDN'T DIE!'' Emma raged at Alice, who was hyperventilating

''B-because, because-'' Alice stuttered, ''BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA DIE!'' Alice broke down into sobs. Her tears caused her glasses to slip and fall off her face.

''I'm still gonna kill you!'' Emma shouted, walking closer until the gun was less than a centimetre away from Alice's forehead. Alice fell onto her knees and then onto the ground, curling into a ball and still sobbing pathetically.

''Emma please, look at her,'' Jimmy urged, ''Could you kill someone in a state like that?'' He had never seen Alice like this. He had seen her cry before, but never in such a pathetic and weak state like this. However, seeing Alice curled into a ball, sobbing and hyperventilating loudly, Jimmy came to a realisation. From what Olivia had told him, Alice's parents had spoiled her from the day she was born, letting her get away with anything, giving her whatever she wanted, telling her she was perfect. And from her perspective, she was. Alice was beautiful, popular and intelligent. She had no reason to think she wasn't the all-important, perfect human being her parents had made her out to be. She was also manipulative. If she didn't get her way, she was clever enough to change that. Before today, Alice had never been in a situation which she couldn't turn it to her advantage. Jimmy realised that this was the first time in Alice's life when she had been completely powerless.

And it _terrified_ her.

Jimmy realised now that although Alice was a horrible person, she was made that way by how she was raised. Alice was to be pitied, not punished for her behaviour.

Emma sighed, lowering the gun, before starting to sob herself. Olivia went to comfort her, putting her arm around around Emma's shoulder.

Alice, meanwhile, lay still curled up and sobbing. Jimmy want over to her. He put his arms around her softly and lifted up the blonde, rubbing her back and letting her bury her face into his chest. ''Sshh,'' he soothed, ''You're safe now.''

''My g-glasses,'' Alice whimpered, squinting at the ground. Her bad eyesight was made worse by her tears. The floor of the ship was black, and so were the frames of Alice's glasses, so it was impossible for the girl to make out where they had fallen.

Jimmy located them instantly, picking up the glasses and gently placing them back on Alice's face. ''Let's get out of here,'' he decided, and everyone started to move out, Alice still holding on to Jimmy.

* * *

They finally managed to get out of the spaceship. Olivia had some difficulty climbing up the ladder, but was able to face her fear once more. Once they were all out, Jimmy was surprised to see the TARDIS in front of them. The Doctor stepped out triumphantly.

''I managed to land the TARDIS now that the generator isn't leaching it's energy any more.''

''What's gonna happen to the ship now?'' Olivia asked.

''The generator shut down when the Patori left it,'' the Doctor explained, ''The ship should power down for good. It'll stop leaking radiation into the atmosphere. No more mutants.''

Emma gave Jimmy a hug and started to walk off.

''See you soon, yeah!'' Jimmy called. Emma smiled and gave him and Olivia a wave.

''Ready to go?'' the Doctor asked his friends.

''Wait,'' Alice, who was still practically clinging to Jimmy, began, ''Can you take me home, Jimmy?''

Jimmy sighed and nodded. Alice had been through a lot today. He wanted to make sure she was OK before they left.

''So who was he?'' the Doctor asked as Jimmy and Alice started to walk off, ''The boy who sacrificed himself to stop the most powerful being on Earth?''

Jimmy paused. In all the time he had known Maurice, he had sometimes been embarrassed to call him a friend. A crybaby too weak to defend himself against the bullies. And yet, Maurice had died to save the world, sacrificing himself and the strength he had worked so hard to achieve. They were all standing here right now because Maurice Raymond, the mouse, the crybaby, had put the world above himself.

''My friend,'' Jimmy answered, ''My best friend ever.''

* * *

As Jimmy and Alice walked along, Jimmy was making conversation with Alice to brighten her spirits up. It seemed to be working.

''So what do you do now?'' Jimmy asked.

''I'm in my last year of A Levels,'' Alice told him.

''What are you doing when you finish?''

''I wanna get into banking like my mum,'' Alice said, ''So I'm gonna go to uni and study economics.''

''Good luck!'' Jimmy encouraged. He knew Alice should achieve this easily. Although her memory wasn't photographic, she was naturally intelligent and picked things up very easily. She aced all her exams and her grades were the highest in their year.

''I was wrong about you, Jimmy,'' Alice admitted.

''Thanks,'' Jimmy replied as they neared Alice's home, ''I'll see you later, yeah!''

''No, you've gotta come in!'' Alice argued, making a cute face at him. She led him into her house and up the stairs, ''Come into my room.''

Jimmy followed reluctantly, not liking where this was going. Alice's room was big and spacious. There was a desk on which lay a few worksheets. Opposite was the biggest dressing table Jimmy had ever seen, which had lots of expensive looking makeup products as well as all Alice's jewellery. Jimmy went and sat on the bed.

'I'm going for a bath,'' Alice told him, ''I'll just be a few minutes.'' Jimmy nodded and she stepped out of the room. Jimmy thought of leaving for a second. The house lights were on, so he knew Alice's parents were in, and he doubted they'd want a strange boy in their daughter's bedroom, even if he had no intention of doing anything. At the same time, after all Alice had been through today, it wasn't fair to simply leave her while she stepped out of the room. Jimmy decided to stay put until Alice came back.

A few minutes later, Alice stepped back into the room soaked and wearing a bathrobe.

''I'd better go now,'' Jimmy said, ''Liv and the Doctor will be waiting.''

''Make them wait a bit more,'' Alice giggled, sitting next to Jimmy, ''Please stay!''

''What for?'' Jimmy asked.

''Do I have to spell it out for you?'' Alice replied, before moving in and kissing him on the lips. Jimmy was shocked at first, pulling away, before looking at the blonde. He knew she was beautiful. Her pretty face, her perfect body, her glasses which suited her face perfectly, her long, lovely blonde hair. She was _gorgeous._

But Jimmy kept thinking about Olivia. He loved her, he always had. But he'd been on the TARDIS with her a long time, if she felt anything for him surely something would have happened now. Whereas here was Alice quite obviously interested in him. Jimmy decided he would take this chance. He kissed the blonde back, and she started to climb on top of him. Jimmy realised she was wearing nothing but the bathrobe and her glasses. Alice unbuttoned Jimmy's shirt and undid his belt, them climbed directly on top of him...

* * *

The next morning, Jimmy woke up groggily. He felt someone on top of him, his muscular arms around her protectively. The blonde hair made him think it was Olivia for a split second, but the memories of yesterday's events soon came back. Jimmy realised who this person was.

''Hey,'' Alice murmured as she woke, ''Have a good night?''

''Yeah!'' Jimmy giggled. Of all the people his first time could have been with, he was not expecting it to be Alice McGowan. He realised himself and Alice were both unclothed.

''Maybe this shouldn't be a one time thing?'' Alice suggested, looking into Jimmy's eyes.

Jimmy studied Alice's face. Alice's eyes were a gorgeous arctic blue. He could stare into them all day. But how he longed for a pair of bright green eyes... ''What do you mean?'' he asked her at last.

''I mean...'' Alice giggled, snuggling against his muscular form, ''Will you be my boyfriend?''

Jimmy considered for what seemed like eternity, ''Yes,'' he decided, ''But you know I travel, right?''

''I could come with you...'' Alice suggested.

Jimmy shook his head. He knew Alice would not be able to cope with the dangerous situations the Doctor put them into, ''I don't think it's a good idea,'' he told her.

''Please,'' Alice begged, giving Jimmy the cutest face he had ever seen.

Slowly, a smile appeared on Jimmy's handsome face. ''I'll ask the Doctor.''

''Thank you!'' Alice beamed, putting on her glasses and jumping out of bed.

* * *

Once they had got dressed and Alice had packed, the new couple walked towards where the TARDIS was parked. Jimmy knocked the door and after a few seconds the Doctor and Olivia stepped out.

''You're late,'' the Time Lord reprimanded, ''And what's she doing here?''

''Doctor, can Alice come with us?''

The Doctor looked like his head was about to come off, ''Are you insane!''

''I won't cause any trouble,'' Alice promised. Olivia looked on in terror. Jimmy wanted Alice to come with them, and the two were holding hands, Olivia worked out what this meant.

Alice had seduced Jimmy. The very thought made Olivia sick to her stomach.

''Doc, come on man!'' Jimmy begged, ''Don't be a dick, come on! She knows about aliens already, she was on that ship!''

''Fine,'' the Time Lord relented, ''But any sign of trouble and she's out.'' He stepped back inside. Olivia went in after him.

''Wait till you see this,'' Jimmy said to Alice, leading her inside the box.

''Oh my god!'' Alice exclaimed as she saw the vast interior, ''It's bigger on the inside!''

''Amazing isn't it!'' Jimmy gushed. Alice nodded in almost childlike wonder.

''Hang on,'' Alice started, ''Where's the other guy? The one with the leather jacket?''

''Since you know about aliens, I may as well tell you,'' the Doctor decided, ''I am an alien. I can change my face. I used to have massive ears and a leather jacket. I then changed into my current form.''

''A real alien,'' Alice realised, ''This is so cool!''

''Welcome aboard, Miss McGowan,'' Jimmy smiled, before turning to the Doctor, ''Has the TARDIS made her a room?''

The Doctor ran a scan on the TARDIS computer, ''I think she's in your room,'' he answered. Alice smirked at this.

Jimmy and Alice headed off to see their new shared room. The Doctor was about to say something to Olivia when the blonde ran off. She ran down the corridor all the way to her room, slamming the door and jumping onto her bed, sobbing quietly into the pillow. How could he? How could he choose _her_? Why did that shallow, spoiled _brat_ get whatever she wanted? After all Olivia and Jimmy had been through together, he went and slept with that... that _bitch!_ She hated Jimmy and she hated Alice.

The TARDIS soothed her. She could sense when one of her Thief's friends was unhappy. She produced calm humming and made sure the temperature in Olivia's room was perfect, soothing the blonde as she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

 **Poor, poor Olivia... Jimmy, you idiot! Next time, we're back for ''The Impossible Planet''? How will Alice handle the Ood and the Beast?**


	28. The Impossible Planet part 1

After a few weeks, Alice was getting used to being on board the TARDIS. Somehow, the Doctor had managed to land them in places where the situation didn't end up being extremely dangerous. Jimmy was still worried about how Alice would cope when the TARDIS ended up somewhere dangerous.

''Where are we going this time?'' Alice asked Jimmy. She was not going to ask the Doctor as over the past weeks the Time Lord had made no secret of how much he disliked her.

''No idea,'' Jimmy admitted as the TARDIS started to land slowly.

''That's not supposed to happen,'' the Doctor murmured.

''Don't tell me this thing's on the blink,'' Alice rolled her eyes. Olivia stayed silent, watching Alice and Jimmy cuddle up. She knew she could not allow Alice to get wind of how she felt for Jimmy. Alice had always been possessive over all the boys she'd been with in the past. If another girl even looked at Alice's boyfriend too long, Alice would start tormenting them.

''I don't know what's wrong with her,'' the Doctor said as they stepped out in some kind of cramped storage area, ''It's like she's not well.''

''Should we go somewhere else?'' Olivia suggested.

''Doesn't seem to be a dangerous place,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''Can we at least get out of this room?'' Alice asked. She was claustrophobic and hated being in such a tiny space. The Doctor nodded and opened the door.

''Open Door 15,'' the computer announced as they stepped into some kind of walkway.

''Some kind of base,'' the Doctor realised, ''Built out of a kit by space explorers.''

Jimmy took Alice's hand as they walked along.

''Sounds like a storm outside,'' Olivia noted.

''This base must have been put together by human design,'' the Doctor noted as they walked down another corridor, opening the door to a canteen area, ''This is a sanctuary base! Deep space exploration. You three are a long way from how. Listen...'' They all heard the sound of drilling from below, ''Someone's drilling.''

''Welcome to hell,'' Olivia murmured.

''It's not bad,'' Jimmy retorted, only to realise that she was reading the words off the wall, where they were written in huge letters. Underneath were some strange symbols.

''That doesn't make sense,'' the Doctor said, walking towards the symbols, ''Why aren't those symbols being translated?''

''Shouldn't we be able to understand that?'' Jimmy asked.

''We should,'' the Doctor agreed, ''That can only mean one thing. This writing very old. Ancient even. The TARDIS matrix can't comprehend it.'' He stood up, ''I want to find out who's in charge here.'' He opened another door, coming face to face with several aliens. They were white with tentacles coming from their mouths, held strange orbs in their hands and wore grey jumpsuits. Alice screamed and held on to Jimmy's arm.

''Hello,'' the Doctor said to one of them, ''Are you in charge here?''

''We must feed,'' all of the aliens said, and started to advance on the group.

''I'm sorry?''

''I think they mean us,'' Olivia supplied. The group tried to flee the way they came, only for more of these aliens to come through from every exit. The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the creatures.

The group were backed into a corner as the aliens advanced on them, continuing to intone that they must feed.

''We must feed...'' one of them began, only to stop and hit the orb it was holding, ''You. If you are hungry.''

''I'm sorry?'' the Doctor questioned, bewildered.

''We apologise,'' the creature said ''Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems.''

Jimmy and Olivia started to laugh, while Alice still looked confused.

''Would you like some refreshment?'' the creature continued.

Before anyone could answer, the computer announced ''Open Door 18.''

A man came through, followed by two others who were carrying guns.

''What the hell...?'' the man spluttered, ''How did...? Captain... you're not going to believe this. We've got PEOPLE _._ Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean four... living... people. Just standing here, right in front of me. ''

''Don't be stupid, that's impossible,'' a voice scoffed over the comms.

''I suggest telling THEM that,'' the man responded dryly.

''But if you're a space base, don't you get visitors?'' Olivia argued, ''Like supplies, or whatever?''

''You're telling me you don't know where you are?'' the man questioned suspiciously.

''Absolutely no idea,'' the Doctor admitted.

''Stand by, everyone,'' a female voice said over the tannoy, ''Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake Point 5 on its way.''

The room started to shake violently as a siren sounded. The man ran to a door and got it open, ''Through here!'' he ushered, ''Now. Quickly, come on!'' The Doctor was filled with sparks and smoke as they ran through. Jimmy grabbed Alice's hand as the girl whimpered, frightened.

The man led them into some kind of control room where various people were getting on with their tasks. A black man was in the centre of the room working at some kind of system, ''Oh, my GOD _._ You meant it.''

''People!'' a young woman said, ''Look at that! Real people!'' She noticed Jimmy and smiled at him. Alice glared absolute daggers at her.

''That's us,'' the Doctor said.

''I'm Jimmy,'' Jimmy introduced, ''This is Alice. This is Olivia. And this is the Doctor.''

''Come on!'' a young Indian man argued, ''The oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be... no. They're real!''

''Come ON!'' the black man ordered, ''We're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up, the quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds!'' He turned to the Doctor and the others, ''Sorry, you two, whoever you are. Just... hold on. Tight.''

''Hold on to what?'' Olivia argued.

''Anything,'' the man insisted, ''I don't care. Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?''

''Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated,'' the creatures commented. Jimmy, Olivia, Alice and the Doctor grabbed hold of some railings.

''What's this planet called, anyway?'' the Doctor asked.

''Now, don't be stupid,'' a woman scoffed, ''It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name?'' The Doctor just looked confused. ''You really don't know, do you?''

''And... IMPACT!'' the black man announced. The room shook violently. The TARDIS crew held on tightly, but the commotion was over soon.

''That wasn't bad,'' the Doctor reasoned, only for the base to start shaking again, this time much worse. Small explosions occurred around the room as everyone held on for dear life.

''Everyone all right?'' the black man asked as the commotion stopped for good, ''Speak to me, Ida?''

''Yeah, yeah!'' the woman who had questioned the Doctor said.

''Danny?''

''Fine,'' the Indian man stated.

''Toby?''

''Yeah, fine,'' a young man said.

''Scooti?''

''No damage,'' the young woman said.

''Jefferson?''

''Check!'' the man who had met them initially said as he went around with a fire extinguisher putting out the flames.

''We're fine too!'' the Doctor announced, frustrated that the man had not asked about their safety.

''The surface caved in,'' the black man reported, showing a projection of the parts of the base which had been destroyed, ''I deflected it onto storage 5 through 8. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link.''

''That's not my department,'' Toby argued.

''Just do as I say, yeah?''

Toby shook his head and left.

''Oxygen holding,'' Ida stated, ''Internal gravity 56.6. We should be okay.''

''What's that storm out there?'' Olivia asked.

''You'd need an atmosphere for a storm,'' Ida argued, ''There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum.''

''What's shaking the roof, then?'' Olivia persisted.

''You're not joking,'' Ida realised, ''You really don't know? Well - introductions. FYI, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, science officer.'' She indicated the black man, _''_ Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir.'' She turned to the man who had greeted them, ''You've met Mr Jefferson, he's head of security.'' She turned to the Indian man, ''Danny Bartock. Ethics committee.''

''Not as boring as it sounds,'' Danny grinned.

''And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, archaeology, and this...'' she placed her hands on the young woman's shoulders, ''... is Scooti Manista. Trainee maintenance.''

Scooti gave Jimmy another cute grin, which he returned. Alice linked her arm with Jimmy's and gave Scooti another icy glare.

''And this,'' Ida continued, This is home.'' She pulled a lever and everyone heard a whirring noise.

''Brace yourselves,'' Zach warned, ''The sight of it sends some people mad.''

The roof opened to reveal an enormous black hole above them.

''That's a black hole,'' Alice realised.

''But that's impossible!'' the Doctor argued.

''I did warn you,'' Zach remarked.

''We're standing under a black hole,'' the Doctor repeated, horrified.

''We're in orbit,'' Ida revealed.

''But that's not possible,'' the Doctor argued, ''We should be pulled in.''

''You can see for yourself,'' Ida insisted, ''We're in orbit.''

''It isn't possible!'' the Doctor argued.

''This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in,'' Ida explained, ''Discuss.''

''This doesn't make sense,'' the Doctor persisted, ''Nothing in the universe can pull against a black hole. The whole idea is that it's collapsed so far in on itself that it pulls everything else in as well! And crushes it!''

''So how are we still here?'' Olivia asked.

''We should be dead,'' the Doctor agreed.

''And yet... here we are,'' Ida retorted, ''Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board.''

''What's that?'' Jimmy questioned as he saw clouds rapidly speeding towards the black hole.

''Stars breaking up,'' Ida answered, ''Gas clouds... we have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads before falling into that thing.''

''This is not good,'' Olivia murmured. Jimmy put his arms around Alice.

Later, Toby stepped back into the room. ''The rocket link's fine,'' he reported.

Zach brought up a 3d projection of the black hole, ''That's the black hole officially designated K37 Gen 5.''

''In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called 'Kroptor','' Ida revealed, ''The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison.''

''The bitter pill...'' Alice repeated with a smirk.

''How did you humans even get this far out?'' the Doctor asked.

''We flew in,'' Zach answered, ''You see...'' he brought up another projection, ''This planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how - we've no idea, but... it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there. As a funnel. A distinct... gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in.''

''Must have been a bumpy ride,'' Jimmy noted.

''By rights, the ship should've been torn apart,'' Zach agreed, ''We lost the Captain... which is what put me in charge...''

''You're doing a good job,'' Ida encouraged.

''Yeah. Well, needs must,'' Zach muttered.

''But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out,'' Danny remarked.

''We had fun speculating about that,'' Scooti retorted.

''Oh, yeah. That's the word,'' Danny answered, whacking Scooti over the head playfully with a scroll ''Fun...''

''But that field must take a phenomenal amount of power,'' the Doctor commented, before gesturing to the controls, ''May I?''

''Sure. Help yourself,'' Ida said, letting the Doctor get on.

One of the creatures walked up to Olivia,''Your refreshment,'' it said, handing her a cup.

''Thanks,'' the blonde praised, ''What was your name?''

''We have no titles,'' the creature answered, ''We are as one.'' It walked off.

''What are those things called?'' Olivia asked Danny.

''Oh, come on!'' Danny scoffed, ''Where've you been living? Everyone's got one!''

''Just answer the question!''

''They're the Ood.''

''The Ood?'' Olivia repeated.

''The Ood!'' Danny insisted, ''They're handy. They work the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision, and maintenance! They're born for it. Basic slave race.''

''Slaves?'' Olivia repeated, disgusted.

''Don't start!'' Scooti laughed, She's like one of that lot. Friends of the Ood.''

''What's wrong with that?'' Jimmy countered, ''S'not right to keep them as slaves.'' Scooti blushed.

''But the Ood offer themselves,'' Danny explained, ''If you DON'T give them orders, they just pine away and die.''

''Seriously?'' Olivia wondered as an Ood walked past, ''You like being slaves?''

''It is all we crave,'' the Ood said.

''That's weird,'' Jimmy noted.

''We have nothing else in life.''

''There we go,'' the Doctor said as he finished the calculation, ''Look: To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds.''

''Six, six, six,'' Jimmy replied with a smirk, ''This doesn't sound good!'' Alice and Scooti both giggled.

''This is impossible,'' the Doctor remarked.

''It took us two years to work that out!'' Zach commented. The Doctor looked up at him.

''But... that's why we're here,'' Ida revealed, ''This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it.''

''It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazen Scale,'' Zach revealed.

''We could revolutionize modern science,'' Ida suggested.

''We could use it to fuel the Empire,'' Jefferson pointed out.

''Or start a war,'' the Doctor spat.

''It's buried beneath us,'' Toby explained, ''In the darkness, waiting.''

''You're freaking me out,'' Alice remarked.

''Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomena,'' Toby continued, ''And this, er, planet once supported life. Eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk.''

''Did you put that writing on the wall?'' the Doctor asked him.

Toby nodded, ''I copied it from fragments we found on earth by the drilling, but I can't translate it.''

''Neither can I,'' the Doctor noted fearfully.

''There was some form of civilisation,'' Toby explained, ''They buried something. Now it's reaching out. Calling us in.''

''And you came,'' the Doctor shook his head.

''Well, how could we not?'' Ida reasoned.

''I don't know,'' the Doctor began, his temper rising, ''Maybe the fact that nothing else has touched this place for billions of years? Maybe the fact we're under a black hole? Maybe the writing that's so ancient nothing can translate it? Are these not signs that you should stay as far away from here as possible? You people are a bunch of idiots.''

''You can talk!'' Ida argued, ''How the hell did YOU get here?''

''I have a little box. Long story,'' the Doctor waved off.

''It's in the 'habitation' place,'' Olivia recalled.

''Do you mean storage six?'' Zach questioned.

''That cramped cupboard,'' the Doctor agreed. Zach glanced at Ida. The Doctor remembered what Zach had said earlier during the earthquake. ''Hang on, you said storage five to eight!'' He sped off to where the TARDIS should be, Jimmy and Olivia following. They raced through the corridors, and the Doctor tried to open a door that would not open.

''What's happened?'' Olivia asked.

''The TARDIS has gone,'' the Doctor whispered, looking through the hole into the planet below, where the storage and the TARDIS had fallen.


	29. The Impossible Planet part 2

''Door 16 out of commission,'' the computer announced.

''This section collapsed during the earthquake,'' the Doctor told Jimmy and Olivia, ''And it took the TARDIS with it.''

''It's gotta be out there somewhere,'' Jimmy argued. The Doctor shrugged, not knowing where his beloved ship had gone, or even if it still existed.

* * *

''The ground gave way,'' the Doctor told Zach in the control room, ''My TARDIS must've fallen down right into the heart of the planet. But you've got robot drills heading the same way.''

''We can't divert the drilling,'' Zach dismissed, walking away.

''That ship means a lot to me,'' the Doctor insisted, ''It's all I've got.''

''Doctor, WE'VE only got the resources to drill ONE central shaft down to the power source, and that's it,'' Zach insisted, ''No diversions, no distractions - NO EXCEPTIONS _._ Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that... is the end of it.'' He left the room.

''I'll uh - put you on the duty roster,'' Ida suggested to the Doctor, who looked helpless, ''We need someone in the laundry.''

''I've trapped you all here,'' the Doctor said to Jimmy, Olivia and Alice. Alice started to cry and Jimmy enveloped her into a hug.

''Don't worry about us,'' Olivia insisted, ''We've got out of worse than this before.''

The base started to shudder again, and so did the TARDIS crew.

* * *

''Danny, check the temperature of Ood Habitation,'' Zach ordered over the comms as the Doctor studied the mysterious writing, ''It seems to be rising.''

Jimmy headed over to a hatch where food was being served. Scooti was already there with a tray. ''Help yourself,'' she offered, eyeing him flirtatiously, ''Just don't have the green. Or the blue.'' She headed off, not noticing Alice looking at her with an expression of absolute fury.

Jimmy grabbed a tray and went to the hatch, looking at the strange dishes that were on offer, ''Can I have a bit of that, please?'' he gestured to a blue offering. The Ood in front of him dispensed some onto his tray.

''Would you like sauce with that?'' the Ood questioned.

''If you don't mind,'' Jimmy responded. The Ood shook some source onto his tray.

''Thanks, yeah,'' Jimmy smiled at the creature, before asking, ''Do you get paid for this?''

''The Beast and his Armies shall rise from the Pit to make war against God,'' the Ood replied casually.

''I'm sorry?''

The Ood tapped it's speech orb, ''Apologies. I said, "I hope you enjoy your meal".''

''OK... cool,'' Jimmy murmured, picking up the tray and heading off.

* * *

The lights flickered in the canteen area. Alice huddled closer to Jimmy.

''Zach, have we got a problem?'' Ida questioned over the comms.

''No more than usual,'' Zach answered, ''Got the Scarlet System burning up, it might be worth a look.''

''You might wanna see this,'' Ida told the TARDIS crew, ''Moment in history.'' She pulled the lever and the roof opened, showing the a stream of red light floating into the black hole. ''There. On the edge,'' Ida noted, ''That red cloud... that used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi... a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years... disappearing. Forever. Their planets and suns consumed.'' Everyone looked up, fascinated, ''Ladies and gentlemen... we have witnessed its passing.'' She went to close the lever, but the Doctor protested.

''Can you leave it open,'' he requested, ''I won't go mad.''

''How would you know?'' Ida retorted.

''He's already mad,'' Jimmy laughed.

''Scooti, check the lockdown,'' Ida ordered, Scooti headed off, ''Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me.'' Jefferson headed off, followed by Ida herself.

''It's beautiful,'' Alice whispered, snuggling up to Jimmy, the two watching the black hole as if hypnotised.

''What happens inside that thing?'' Olivia asked.

''Nothing,'' the Doctor said, ''It just eats. Whatever goes inside gets crushed and crushed until there's nothing left.

''We're so far from home,'' Olivia murmured. She checked her phone, but there was no signal, ''That'e weird. Ever since you revamped it, it picks up signals anywhere, but here there's nothing!'' She gasped, ''I can't even tell my family where I am!''

''Can you build another TARDIS?'' Jimmy questioned.

''They're not built,'' the Doctor answered, looking at the ground, ''TARDIS's are grown, not built. And no, I can't grow another one. Not without the Time Lords.''

''They said they'd give us a lift,'' Olivia reasoned.

''And then what?'' the Doctor questioned, ''I'd have to settle down. Be an ordinary man!''

''You'd have to get a house!'' Olivia joked, ''With chairs, and doors and tables.'' The Doctor shuddered.

''We could get one together,'' Alice suggested to Jimmy, who smiled. Olivia looked down, only for her phone to start to ring.

''Hello,'' she answered.

''He is awake,'' a deep voice called. Olivia gasped and ended the call.

* * *

The four hurried over to where Danny was working with the Ood.

''Danny!'' the Doctor called.

''The mysterious foursome,'' Danny recognised, ''How are you, then? Settling in?''

''How do the Ood communicate?'' the Doctor asked, not bothering to answer Danny's question.

''Oh, just empaths,'' Danny shrugged, ''There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does THEM much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle.''

''And can that telepathic field pick up messages?''

''One of the Ood said something weird to me when I was getting food,'' Jimmy recalled.

''Then I got something weird on my... comms device,'' Olivia added.

''Oh, be fair,'' Danny reasoned, ''We've got whole star systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing.'' The TARDIS crew were not convinced. ''Look... if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill.''

''Is this the monitor?'' the Doctor questioned, looking at the screen Danny was working at.

''Yeah,'' Danny answered, ''But like I said, it's low level telepathy. They only register Basic 5.'' The screen went up to Basic 6.

''What's that then?'' the Doctor questioned, as the screen started to rise, slowly getting to Basic 10, ''Basic 10?'' It continued to rise until Basic 30. ''We're at Basic 30, Danny. Something's going on!''

''Doctor!'' Olivia called as the Ood all turned to face them.

''What's Basic 30?'' Alice asked Danny as the Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia faced the Ood.

''Well, it means that they're shouting,'' Danny explained, ''Screaming inside their heads.''

''Or something's screaming at them,'' the Doctor supposed.

''But... where's it coming from?'' Danny wondered, ''What is it saying? I mean...'' he turned to Jimmy, ''What did it say to you?''

''The Beast is rising, or something,'' Jimmy recalled.

''What about you?'' Danny asked Olivia, ''Your communicator?''

''He is awake,'' Olivia answered.

''And you will worship him,'' all of the Ood said in unison.

''That is freaky,'' Alice commented.

''He is awake,'' the Doctor tried again.

''And you will worship him.''

''Who's speaking through you?'' the Doctor asked, ''I demand to know who is addressing us.'' The Ood ignored him.

The entire base shook violently as the Doctor, Jimmy and Olivia went into the Ood pen.

''Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach,'' the computer announced, as everyone tried to regain their balance.

''Which section?'' Danny asked over the comms.

''Everyone... evacuate 11 to 13, we've got a breach!'' Zach shouted over the tannoy, ''The base is open. Repeat: the base is OPEN.'' The TARDIS crew and Danny fled towards the habitation area. The passed through the canteen area, hearing Mr Jefferson shouting for them to keep moving. They entered a corridor where Ida and a few others came from the other direction.

''Beach sealed. Breach sealed,'' the computer announced.

''Everyone OK?'' the Doctor asked, ''What happened?''

''Oxygen levels normal,'' the computer announced.

''Hull breach!'' Jefferson explained, ''We were open to the elements. A couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters.''

''What caused that?'' the Doctor questioned.

''We've lost sections 11 to 13,'' Zach announced, ''Everyone all right?''

''We've got everyone here except Scooti,'' Jefferson said over the comms, ''Scooti, report.'' No response. ''Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report.''

''She's all right,'' Zach revealed, ''I picked up her bio chip, she's in Habitation 3. Better go and check if she's not responding, she might be unconscious.''

''How about that, eh?'' Zach continued, ''We survived!''

''Habitation 3,'' Jefferson said, ''Come on, I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on.''

Everyone headed off, apart from Toby, the Doctor, Jimmy, Olivia and Alice. The Doctor crouched down to Toby, who looked shaken.

''What happened?'' the Doctor asked.

''I don't...'' Toby began, ''I dunno, I... I was working and then I can't remember. All... all that noise, the room was falling apart, there was no air...''

''Let's go get you something to eat,'' Olivia encouraged, helping Toby to his feet.

They entered habitation four to see a bit of a commotion.

''I've checked Habitation 4,'' Ida remarked.

''There's no sign of her,'' Jefferson said, ''The bio chip says she's in the area.'' He turned to the Doctor and the others, ''Have you seen Scooti?''

''No, no, no, I don't think so,'' Toby answered.

''Scooti, please respond,'' Ida said over the comms, ''If you can hear this please respond... Habitation 6.''

''Nowhere here,'' Jefferson commented, ''Zach?  
We've got a problem. Scooti's still missing.''

''It says Habitation 3,'' Zach insisted.

''Yeah, well that's where I am, and I'm telling you she's NOT HERE.''

The Doctor looked upwards into the open sky, ''I've found her,'' he revealed solemnly. There was Scooti's body, floating in thin air, drifting into the black hole.

* * *

 **I love these two episodes. Probably my favorite two episodes of Series 2. Please leave a review and say what you think!**

 **LegoGuineaPig - Thanks for the review. Glad to know the original story went down so well :).**


	30. The Impossible Planet part 3

''Oh my god!'' Jimmy murmured as Scooti's body drifted towards the black hole.

''Captain...'' Jefferson began over the comms, ''Report Officer Scootori Manista PKD... deceased. 43K2.1.''

''She was twenty... twenty years old,'' Ida added sadly, closing the roof so that Scooti could rest in peace.

''For how should Man die better than facing fearful odds?'' Jefferson said, ''For the ashes of his father... and the temples of his Gods.''

Suddenly, the drilling sound which had been going continuously stopped.

''It's stopped,'' Ida realised.

''What's that?'' Olivia asked.

''The drilling's stopped,'' the Doctor repeated.

''We've stopped drilling,'' Ida agreed, ''We've made it. Point Zero.''

''All non-essential Oods to be confined,'' Zach ordered over the tannoy as the crew prepared to descend to see what had been found. Ida had put on a spacesuit and was about to descend.

''Capsule established,'' she reported, ''All systems functioning... the mineshaft is go... bring systems online now.''

The Doctor stepped forward, having donned a similar spacesuit, ''Reporting as a volunteer,'' he told Zach.

''Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol,'' Zach argued, ''We don't even know who you are.''

''We can't send someone down there on their own,'' the Doctor countered.

''I should be going down,'' Zach pointed out.

''The Captain stays here,'' the Doctor insisted, ''He directs the mission.''

''Not much good at it, am I?'' Zach muttered bitterly. The Doctor looked at him intently. Zach sighed and nodded. ''Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions!'' Jimmy, Olivia and Alice walked over to the Doctor. ''Mr Jefferson!'' Zach addressed, ''I want maximum systems...''

''Oxygen... nitro-balance... gravity,'' the Doctor read from the dial on the wrist of his spacesuit, ''It's ages since I wore one of these!''

''Good luck, Doc!'' Jimmy encouraged. The Doctor smiled. Olivia gave the Time Lord a hug, though he seemed too confused by the concept of hugging to return it. He even afforded a brief nod at Alice before stepping into the capsule with Ida.

''Capsule active,'' Zach announced over the tannoy, ''Counting down in 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...''

Jefferson saluted the Doctor and Ida, and Jimmy and Olivia waved at them.

''1...'' Zach finished, ''Release.'' The capsule started to descend. A projection appeared on one of the nearby computers tracking it's journey.

The Doctor and Ida stood inside the speeding capsule in silence. ''Gone beyond the oxygen field,'' Zach said over the comms, ''You're on your own.'' The Doctor and Ida switched on their oxygen tanks. The capsule started to shake violently, almost throwing the two off their feet. They managed to steady themselves.

The projection indicated that the capsule had reached point zero. It caused the whole room to shudder. ''Doctor?'' Jimmy asked over the comms, ''Doctor, are you alright?''

There was no response.

''Ida, report to me...'' Zach urged, ''Doctor?''

''We made it,'' the Time Lord assured, ''We made it! Exiting the capsule now.''

''What's it like down there?'' Olivia asked, snatching the comms device from Jimmy. Alice glared at her for doing this.

''Can't tell,'' the Doctor answered as he stepped out, ''It's obscure in the darkness.''

''Well, this should help. Gravity globe,'' Ida said, tossing a white orb into the air and lighting the whole area, revealing what was clearly ancient architecture. ''That's... that's... my God, that's beautiful,'' Ida murmured.

''Tell Toby we found his civilisation,'' the Doctor announced.

''Toby, he found your civilisation!'' Olivia told the man, who was sitting not far from them.

''Good, good. Good,'' Toby muttered, not seeming interested.

''Concentrate now, people,'' Zac reminded, ''Keep on the mission. Ida... what about the power source?''

''We're close,'' Ida reported as she and the Doctor continued to explore, ''Energy signature indicates north, north west. Are you getting pictures up there?''

''There's too much interference,'' Zac answered, ''We're in your hands.''

''Well... we've come this far. There's no turning back.''

''Must humans be so dramatic all of the time?'' the Doctor sneered, getting a dirty look from Ida.

''Are you finished?'' she asked. The Doctor nodded and continued moving.

''Captain, sir,'' Danny interrupted over the comms, ''There's something happening with the Ood.''

''What are they doing?'' Zach asked.

''They're staring at me,'' Danny answered, ''I've told them to stop, but they won't.''

''Danny, you're a big boy,'' Zac pointed out, ''I think you can take being STARED at.''

''But the telepathic field, sir,'' Danny persisted, ''It's at Basic 100! I've checked - there isn't any fault. It's definitely 100.''

''But that's impossible!'' Zac argued.

''What's Basic 100?'' Olivia questioned.

''They should be dead,'' Danny answered.

''Basic 100's brain death,'' Jefferson added.

''But they're safe?'' Zac wondered, ''They're not actually moving?''

''No, sir,'' Danny responded.

''Keep watching them,'' Zac commanded, ''And you, Jefferson, keep a guard on the Ood.''

''Officer at arms!'' Jefferson remarked.

''Yes, sir,'' a female crew member said.

''Firing stock 15,'' Jefferson explained to the teenagers, ''Only impacts upon organics.'' He turned to the crew member, ''Keep watch. Guard them.''

''Yes, sir,'' she replied, watching the three Ood with them.

''Is everything all right up there?'' the Doctor questioned tensely.

''All good!'' Olivia lied, not wanting to disrupt the mission.

''It's FINE!'' Zac agreed.

''Great!'' Danny remarked, though sarcasm was evident in his voice.

The Doctor and Ida approached a vast metal trapdoor with markings not unlike the symbols Toby had discovered.

''We've found something,'' the Doctor told the others, ''Some kind of big trapdoor.''

''The edge is covered with those symbols,'' Ida noted, shining her torch along the edges.

''Do you think it opens?'' Zac questioned.

''Trapdoors usually do,'' the Doctor commented dryly.

'''Trapdoor' doesn't do it justice,'' Ida pointed out, ''It's massive, Zach. About thirty feet in diameter.''

''Any way of opening it?'' Zac asked.

''I don't know,'' Ida admitted, ''I can't see any sort of mechanism.''

''Maybe the writing is instructions,'' the Doctor suggested, ''The problem is we can't understand them.''

''Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?'' Zac asked. Toby did not answered.

''Toby?'' Jimmy shouted at the man who was still sitting away from them, ''Did you manage to translate the writing?''

''I know what it says,'' Toby murmured from the corner.

''When did you work that out?'' Jefferson asked suspiciously.

''They need to know,'' Olivia urged.

Toby stood up, and his skin was now covered in the strange symbols. His eyes were a dark red. ''These are the words of the Beast,'' he said in a voice that was obviously not his, ''And he has woken.'' Jefferson pointed his gun at Toby, who continued, ''He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise.''

Alice screamed and started clinging on to Jimmy.

''Officer, stand down,'' Jefferson ordered, ''STAND DOWN.''

''What is it?'' the Doctor questioned, ''What's he done? What's happening? Olivia? Jimmy? What's going on?''

''He's covered in those symbols,'' Olivia revealed, ''They're all over him, and he's talking in this weird voice!'' The comms had gone down, so the Doctor did not hear.

''Officer, as commander of security, I order you to stand down and be confined,'' Jefferson commanded, pointing his gun at Toby, ''Immediately!''

''Mr Jefferson, tell me, sir...'' Toby sneered, ''Did your wife ever forgive you?''

''I don't know what you mean,'' Jefferson rasped, though he went deathly pale.

''Let me tell you a secret: she never did.''

''Officer...'' Jefferson swallowed, ''You stand down and be confined.''

''Or what?'' Toby challenged.

''Or under the jurisdiction of Condition Red, I am authorised to shoot you.''

''But how many can you kill?'' The symbols began to leave Toby's body, and passed over the Ood, who's eyes became red. Toby collapsed as the three Ood turned to them.

''We are the Legion of the Beast,'' the creatures intoned.

* * *

''What's going on up there?'' the Doctor asked. Since the comms were down, there was no answer. ''I'm going back up,'' he decided, walking back towards the capsule.

* * *

''The Legion shall be many,'' the Ood intoned, ''And the Legion shall be few...''

''Something's happened to the Ood,'' Olivia reported to the Doctor, unaware that he could not hear.

''I'm scared, Jimmy!'' Alice sobbed, pressing her face so hard against Jimmy's chest that her glasses were digging in.

''Shh, it's OK,'' Jimmy soothed, trying to keep his girlfriend calm.

''Sir, we have a contamination in the livestock,'' Jefferson said over the inactive comms, ''They won't listen to us.''

''He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time,'' the Ood said, ''Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan or Lucifer, or the Bringer of Despair, The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free.''

''Back up to the door!'' Jefferson shouted at Olivia and the others as the Ood started to advance. Everyone started to retreat back.

''I shall become manifest,'' the Ood continued.

''Move quickly!'' Jefferson shouted at the teens.

''I shall walk in might,'' the Ood said.

''To the door!'' Jefferson repeated as the teens backed up against the door, ''Get it open!''

''My Legions shall swarm across the worlds...'' the Ood announced.

* * *

''Doctor!'' Ida called as the Time Lord marched away, ''It's opening!'' The Doctor stumbled around as the whole planet shook, watching as the trapdoor began to open. He ran back to where Ida was to aid her.

* * *

''I am the sin and the temptation and the desire,'' the Ood rasped as they continued to advance upon Jefferson and the TARDIS crew, ''I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come.''

''Get that door open!'' Jefferson shouted.

The trapdoor was now completely open.

''I have been imprisoned for eternity,'' the Ood said as they advanced, ''But no more.''

''Door sealed,'' the computer intoned as Jimmy, Olivia and the crew member tried to force it open.

''Open!'' Jimmy shouted.

''Door sealed.''

The ground continued to shake as smoke started to come out of the open trapdoor.

* * *

''The pit is open,'' a deep voice roared from underneath them, ''And I am free.''

The Doctor and Ida looked on in horror.

* * *

 **Readertypertweeter - Thanks for the review. I appreciate it. I can see why you don't like Alice. She isn't a pleasant person at all. As for whether she'll be sticking around, ''SPOILERS''**

 **Next Time - The Satan Pit. Please leave a review and say what you think!**


	31. The Satan Pit part 1

The Ood had the the group backed against the door and were about to attack.

''Open fire!'' Jefferson called, and he and the other crew member fired, blasting down the three possessed creatures. Olivia hurried back over to the comms and tried to contact the Doctor.

''Doctor? Ida? Anyone?'' she called, only to get static.

The door started to open. Alice huddled against Jimmy, thinking it was more crazed Ood. Jefferson and the crew member pointed their guns at the door, which opened to reveal Danny.

''It's me!'' Danny assured them, ''But they're coming. It's the Ood. They've gone mad.''

''How many of them?'' Jefferson asked.

''All of them! All fifty!''

''Danny, out of the way,'' Jefferson ordered, but Danny did not budge, ''Out of the way!'' He shoved Danny away and started to open the door.

''But they're armed! It's the interface device,'' Danny explained, ''I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon.''

Jefferson pulled open the door, only to reveal more Ood. The first placed it's translator orb against the crew member's face, electrocuting her to death. Jefferson opened fire and killed the creatures.

''Jefferson, what's happening, there?'' Zach asked as the comms reactivated.

''I've got very little ammunition, sir,'' Jefferson reported, ''How about you?''

''All I've got is a bolt gun. With uh...all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is.''

''Given the emergency... Jefferson began, ''I recommend Strategy Nine.''

''Strategy Nine agreed,'' Zac decided, ''Right, we need to get everyone together. What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?''

''There's nothing,'' Olivia admitted, ''We keep trying, but...''

''Sorry!'' the Doctor's voice came over the comms at last, ''Comms went down. Ida and I are both safe. For the moment, at least.''

''Best thing I've heard all day,'' Jimmy murmured.

''The seal opened up,'' the Doctor revealed, ''It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm.''

''How deep is it?'' Zach questioned.

''Very, from what I can see,'' the Doctor answered.

'''The pit is open'.'' Olivia recalled.

''But there's nothing?'' Zach asked, sceptical, ''I mean... There's... NOTHING coming out?''

''Not as far as I can see,'' the Doctor admitted.

''Ida?'' Zach began, ''I recommend that you withdraw. Immediately.''

''But... we've come all this way!'' Ida protested.

''Okay, that was an order,'' Zac shouted, ''WITH-DRAW _._ With that thing open, the whole planet's shifted. One more inch and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops right now.''

''But it's not much better up there with the Ood,'' Ida pointed out.

''I'm initiating Strategy Nine, so I need the two of you back up top immediately, no ar...'' Ida cut off the comms. ''Ida? IDA?'' Zach shouted.

* * *

''What do you think?'' Ida asked the Doctor.

''They gave us an order,'' the Time Lord pointed out.

''Yeah, but... what do YOU think?'' Ida pressed.

''It said "I am the temptation",'' the Doctor recalled, staring into the pit.

''If... if there's something in there... why's it still hiding?'' Ida wondered.

''Perhaps we opened the prison but not the cell,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''We should go down,'' Ida suggested, ''I'd go. What about you?''

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted, ''Maybe that's what it wants. Perhaps this whole system is designed to tempt foolish travellers into going in. We aren't fools, Ida. We're going back.'' He reactivated the comms, ''We're on our way back,'' he reported.

* * *

''Good luck!'' Jimmy called as Jefferson pointed his gun at Toby.

''He's infected,'' Jefferson stated, ''He brought that thing on board. You saw it.''

''He's not anymore,'' Jimmy pointed out, ''Whatever that thing was, it passed into the Ood. It's not in him anymore.''

''Any sign of trouble... I'll shoot him,'' Jefferson decided, moving away. Toby was breathing heavily, frightened.

''Can you remember anything?'' Jimmy asked him.

''Just... it was so angry. It was... fury and rage... death...,'' Toby remembered, ''It was him. It was the devil.'' Olivia walked up to him and hugged him.

* * *

''What's Strategy Nine?'' the Doctor asked as he and Ida headed back to the capsule.

''Open the airlocks... we'll be safe inside the lockdown...'' Ida explained, ''The Ood will get thrown out into the vacuum.''

''Lovely...'' the Doctor murmured, sarcasm evident in his voice.

''Slaughter. The devil's work,'' Ida noted as they arrived at the capsule.

''Okay, we're in,'' Ida announced over the comms, ''Bring us up.''

''Ascension in... Three... two... one,'' Jefferson said, only for the mechanism to fail. The lights in the capsule and the deck went out.

''This is the Darkness,'' a deep voice intoned, ''This is my domain.'' The screen flickered on to reveal several of the Ood speaking in unison. ''You little things that live in the light... clinging to your feeble Suns... Which die in the...''

''That's not the Ood,'' Zach interrupted over the comms, ''Something's talking through them.''

''Only the Darkness remains,'' the Ood finished.

''This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctury Base Six representing the Torchwood archive,'' Zach announced to the whatever was controlling the Ood, ''You will identify yourself.''

''You know my name,'' the Beast said.

''What do you want?''

''You will die here,'' the Beast sneered, ''All of you. This planet is your grave.''

''It's him. It's him. It's him...'' Toby muttered, terrified.

''Which Beast are you?'' the Doctor questioned over the comms, ''There are so many religions out there. All of them have their own beliefs about 'the beast'. Which one are you?''

''All of them,'' the Beast answered.

''You're the source of the myth, are you?''

''This one knows me, as I know him,'' the Beast sneered, ''The killer of his own kind.''

''Be careful what you say,'' the Doctor warned menacingly, ''How did you end up here?''

''The disciples of the Light rose up against me,'' the Beast explained, ''And chained me in the pit for all eternity.''

''When was this?'' the Doctor questioned.

''Before time.''

''What does that mean?''

''Before time.''

''What does 'before time' mean?'' the Doctor pressed.

''Before light and time and space and matter,'' the Beast intoned, ''Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created.''

''That's impossible,'' the Doctor argued, ''No life could have existed back then.''

''Is that your religion?'' the Beast sneered.

''Does it matter?'' the Doctor spat.

''You know nothing,'' the Beast sneered, ''All of you. So small. The Captain, so scared of command. The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife. The scientist, still running from daddy. The little boy who lied. The virgin. And the lost children, so far away from home. The valiant children. One will die in battle so very soon.''

''What does that mean?'' Olivia asked, horrified.

''Don't listen to it!'' the Doctor urged.

''You will die... and I will live,'' the Beast laughed, and the footage of the Ood changed to that of a huge, horned creature roaring at them. Everyone gasped and scaled back.

''What the hell was that?'' Danny breathed.

''I had that thing inside my head,'' Toby muttered.

''What did it mean?'' Olivia wondered again.

''I'm scared, Jimmy!'' Alice sobbed, hugging Jimmy desperately, ''It's gonna kill us.''

''What do we do? Jefferson?'' Danny pressed.

''Captain?'' Jefferson asked over the comms, ''What's the situation on Strategy Nine?''

''Zach, what do we do?'' Danny persisted.

''What if I can fix it?'' Toby suggested, ''The black hole, everything's true.''

''We've lost pictures...'' Zach reported.

''How did know all that?'' Olivia questioned the Doctor.

''Did anyone get...'' Ida began.

The Doctor had grown tired of this commotion. He held the comms device to the speaker, creating loud feedback and silencing everyone.

''I want everyone to remain silent,'' the Time Lord commanded, ''Listen to me. That thing is taking you for idiots. It used very basic fears. Darkness, childhood, past regrets.''

''But that's how the devil works,'' Danny argued.

''Or a good psychologist,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''But... how did it know about my father?'' Ida wondered.

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted, ''But we have the advantage of numbers. You're all intelligent... except maybe Alice.''

''Oi!'' Alice whined, ''I'm top of my class!''

''Anyway,'' the Doctor continued, his clever tactic to diffuse the tension having worked, ''You're all intelligent people, and you all have each other. The Beast has nobody. That's how we're going to...'' he was cut off when the cable for the capsule snapped.

''The cable's snapped!'' Ida realised.

''Get out!'' the Doctor shouted, and the two fled the capsule as the heavy cable landed inside it.

''Doctor!'' Olivia panicked.

''Comms are down,'' Zach reported, ''I've still got life signs, but... we've lost the capsule.''

''Doctor? Ida?'' Olivia tried.

''There's no way out,'' Zach realised, ''They're stuck down there.''

* * *

''How much air have we got?'' the Doctor asked Ida.

''Sixty minutes,'' Ida answered, before looking at her wrist device, ''Fifty-five.''

* * *

''How are we gonna bring them back?'' Jimmy asked Jefferson.

''They're ten miles down,'' Jefferson told him, ''We haven't got another ten miles of cable.'' A band on the door made them jump. Jefferson spoke into the comms to address Zach, ''Captain? Situation report.''

''It's the Ood,'' Zach reported, ''They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in.''

''Yeah, it's the same on Door 25,'' Jefferson noted.

''How long's it gonna take?'' Alice asked.

''Well, it's only a basic frame, it should take ten minutes,'' Jefferson said as there was another bang, ''Eight.''

''I've got a security frame, it might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you,'' Zach said.

''We need to stop the Ood and get out of here,'' Olivia realised.

''But how?'' Danny retorted.

''That must be why the Doctor got cut off,'' Jimmy theorised, ''He was telling us about how intelligent we were. He was trying to get us to think our way out of here.''

''We need power before anything else,'' Olivia argued.

''There's nothing I can do,'' Zach muttered bitterly, ''Some captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons.''

''Press the right buttons!'' Olivia reasoned.

''They've gutted the generators!'' Zach argued, ''But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that... Mr Jefferson? Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety...''

Jefferson did so, ''Opening bypass conduits, sir.''

''Channeling rocket feed,'' Zach announced, ''In 3... 2... 1... power.'' The lights came back on. Jimmy, Olivia, and even Alice smiled.

''Zach, you're brilliant!'' Jimmy cheered.

''Let there be light!'' Danny agreed.

''Jefferson, try and find us a way out,'' Olivia decided, before turning to Toby, ''What do you know about the Beast and the pit?''

''Well, n-n-nothing,'' Toby stuttered, ''We can't even translate the language.'' Olivia sighed, ''H-hold on. Maybe.'' Everyone turned to him, ''Since that thing was inside my head, it's like the letters made more sense.''

''Do your best,'' Jimmy urged, ''Danny, what can you do about the Ood?''

''Well... I don't know,'' Danny admitted.

''There's gotta be something!'' Jimmy insisted, ''Get at that computer and see what you can do, yeah?'' Danny nodded and did so.

* * *

''We've got all this cable, we might as well use it,'' Ida decided, ''The drum's disconnected - we could adapt it.'' She started gathering up the cable, ''Feed it through.''

''And then what?'' the Doctor questioned.

''Abseil,'' Ida replied, ''Into the pit.''

''Right...'' the Doctor said, thinking of the risks of going inside a potentially dangerous pit.

''We're running out of air with no way back,'' Ida argued, ''It's the only thing we CAN do. Even if it's the last thing we ever achieve.''

''I'll get back,'' the Doctor promised, ''My friends are up there.''

''Well, maybe the key to that is finding out what's in the pit.''

The Doctor considered for a moment, ''We don't go down.''

''What do you mean?'' Ida asked.

''I do.''

* * *

 **So that's part 1 of ''The Satan Pit''. Hoped you liked Alt!10s version of Ten's speech in this episode. It was difficult to revamp it because this Doctor is a lot less optimistic and enthusiastic than Real!10, so having him give a speech about the beauty and curiosity of humans would be a bit OOC.**


	32. The Satan Pit part 2

Everyone worked hard to get them out of the situation they were in. The Ood kept banging against the door.

''Open junctions five... six... seven...'' Jefferson counted, ''... reroute filters sixteen to twenty-four. Go.''

''There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood,'' Danny remarked as he worked, ''Trouble is, we haven't got them on board.''

''Why tell us what we haven't got, you idiot?'' Alice spat.

The computer beeped and flashed 'affirmative' on the screen, ''Oh my God,'' Danny smiled, ''It says yes! I can do it! Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare... it can disrupt the telepathy! Brainstorm!''

''Will that stop the Ood?'' Jimmy asked.

''It'll tank them, spark out!''

''Do it then!'' Olivia urged.

Danny's face fell, ''No, but... I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation.''

There was another bang at the door, this time causing sparks to fly.

''Can we get there?'' Olivia asked Jefferson.

''Just about...'' Jefferson affirmed, ''There's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here.''

''Let's go then!'' Jimmy urged.

''The problem is...'' Jefferson began, ''there's no ventilation. No air, in fact - at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms.''

''But - I can manipulate the oxygen field from here,'' Zach announced, ''Create discrete pockets of atmosphere... if I control it manually... I can follow you through the network.''

''Make a route to Ood habitation,'' Jefferson told Zach.

* * *

The Doctor and Ida were securing the cable so that they could abseil into the pit.

''That should hold it,'' Ida said, ''How's it going?''

The Doctor moved back to the edge of the pit, causing the cable to unravel. ''It's that temptation again,'' the Doctor mused, ''The urge to leap inside, just to satisfy curiosity.''

''The urge to jump,'' Ida agreed, ''Do you know where it comes from, that sensation? Genetic heritage. Ever since we were primates in the trees. It's our body's way of testing us. Calculating whether or not we can reach the next branch.''

''No, that's not it,'' the Doctor sighed, ''It's not the urge to jump. It's the urge to fall!'' He jumped into the hole.

''Doctor!'' Ida called, pressing a button, stopping the cable from moving, ''Are you okay?''

The Doctor could see inside the pit now, ''The wall of the pit... seems to be the same as the cavern, just... Not much of it,'' he noted, ''There's a crust about twenty feet down and then... nothing. Just the pit. Okay, then. Lower me down.''

''Well, here we go, then,'' Ida announced, slowly lowering the Doctor into the pit.

* * *

As the door banged once more, Danny was still working at the computer.

''Danny, come on!'' Jimmy shouted.

''Hold on!'' Danny responded, ''Just conforming...''

''Dan, you gotta go NOW!'' Jefferson ordered as there was another bang at the door, ''Come on!''

The computer beeped, ''Yeah,'' Danny cheered, pulling out a small computer chip from the machine and hurrying over to the entrance to the tunnels, ''Put that in the monitor... and it's a bad time to be an Ood!''

''Okay, Danny, you go first,'' Jefferson ordered, ''Then you Miss Alison, then Mr Greaver, then Miss McGowan,, then Toby, I'll go last in defence of position. Now come on! Quick as you can!''

Danny and Olivia jumped into the tunnels. Jimmy grabbed Alice's hand and was about to do the same, when Alice hesitated.

''What's wrong?'' Jimmy asked her.

''I can't!'' she whimpered, seeing how narrow the tunnels were.

''She's claustrophobic!'' Olivia told Jimmy. Jimmy sighed as he realised what this meant.

''Move, NOW!'' Jefferson shouted at them.

''Al, when they get in here, they're gonna kill us all!'' Jimmy said, ''That tunnel is the only way out.''

''I can't!'' Alice whined, tears starting to fall.

Jimmy placed a kiss on the girl's lips, ''I believe in you,'' he told her, wiping her tears away and gently pushing her glasses back up her nose, ''I know you can do this.''

Alice nodded and jumped in. Olivia put her arm around her friend and gave her a reassuring smile. Jimmy, Toby and finally Jefferson jumped in, Jefferson closing the grating just seconds before the Ood broke the door down.

''Which way do we go?'' Danny asked Zach over the comms.

''Just go straight ahead,'' Zach said, ''Keep going 'til I say so.'' The group began to shuffle forwards. ''Straight along until you find junction 7.1,'' Zach ordered, ''Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you.''

After a while, they reached junction 7.1 and sat, out of breath. Jimmy noticed how heavily Alice was breathing, so he snuggled close to her and gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned in spite of herself.

''We're at 7.1, sir,'' Danny reported to Zach.

''Okay, I've got you...'' Zach replied, ''I'm just aerating the next section.''

''Getting kinda cramped, sir... can't you hurry up?'' Danny pressed.

''I'm working on half power, here,'' Zac argued.

''Stop complaining,'' Jefferson muttered.

''But the air's getting a bit thin,'' Toby pointed out.

''What's that smell?'' Olivia wondered, looking at Danny.

''I'm not exactly happy,'' Danny defended.

''I'm just moving the air...'' Zach told them, ''I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm... or it's gonna feel worse.''

There was a loud banging from the other side of the tunnel, making everyone jump.

''What was that?'' Danny asked as Jefferson aimed his gun.

''What's that noise?'' Toby wondered.

''Captain... what was that?'' Jefferson wondered.

''The junction in Habitation Five's been opened,'' Zac reported, ''It must be the Ood. They're in the tunnels!''

Alice gasped and started clinging to Jimmy, who was starting to doubt whether convincing Alice to come into the tunnels was a good idea after all. He'd convinced Olivia to face her fear of heights before, but Jimmy needed to remember that Alice _wasn't_ Olivia. If Olivia knew that facing her fear would get her out of a dangerous situation, she would do it. Alice was very intelligent, but she wasn't rational minded, and Jimmy could see that bringing his girlfriend into the tunnels had put her on the verge of a panic attack.

''Well, open the gate!'' Danny shouted.

''I've gotta get the air in!'' Zac argued.

''Just open it! ... sir,'' Danny insisted.

''Are they close?'' Olivia asked.

''Don't know, I can't tell,'' Zac admitted, ''I can't _see_ them... the computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms.''

''That's a stupid idea!'' Olivia shouted.

''OPEN the gate!'' Danny ranted. Finally, it opened, and the group lunged through it.

''Danny, turn left,'' Zach ordered, ''Immediate left.''

''The Ood, sir...'' Jefferson questioned as they moved along, ''Can't you trap them? Cut off the air?''

''Not without cutting off yours,'' Zach admitted, ''Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan - they're gonna catch up!'' Everyone started moving quicker.

''I'll maintain defence of position!'' Jefferson decided.

''Don't be stupid!'' Olivia shouted.

''Miss Alison, that's my job,'' Jefferson affirmed, ''You've got your task - now see to it.''

''You heard what he said, now SHIFT,'' Toby ordered Olivia as they continued moving, leaving Jefferson, who shot at the approaching Ood. Finally, they reached the next junction.

''8.2,'' Danny shouted, ''Open 8.2. Zach!''

''I've gotta aerate it!'' Zach argued.

''OPEN IT NOW!'' Danny raged.

''I'm TRYING!'' Zach shouted back. Danny began hitting the shutter in desperation.

''Zach, get it open!'' Toby urged. Jefferson was still behind.

''Jefferson... I've gotta open 8.2 by closing 8.1,'' Zach explained, ''You've GOT to get past the junction, now MOVE _._ That's an order, now MOVE!''

Jefferson shot down another Ood, but it ran out of bullets.

''I'm gonna lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!'' Zach insisted. Finally, the shutter opened, allowing Danny, Olivia, Toby, Jimmy and Alice through.

''Come on!'' Danny shouted at Jefferson.

''Danny, turn left and head for 9.2,'' Zach ordered, ''That's the last one. Jefferson, you've gotta move faster. Move!''

''Hurry up!'' Jimmy shouted at Jefferson, only to be pulled forward by Toby.

''Keep GOING!'' Toby insisted. The shutter closed before Jefferson could get through.

''Regret to inform, sir...'' Jefferson muttered over the comms, ''I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days.''

''I can't open 8.1, John,'' Zach informed him, ''Not without losing air for the others.''

''And quite right too, sir,'' Jefferson murmured, ''I think I bought them a little time.''

''There's nothing I can do, John,'' Zach said as the others got to the end of the tunnel, ''I'm sorry.''

''You've done enough, sir,'' Jefferson praised, ''Made a very good captain under the circumstances. I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section... can you speed up the process of its removal?''

Jimmy worked out what Jefferson was saying and sighed for the man.

''I don't understand,'' Zach said, ''What do you mean?''

''Well... if I might chose the manner of my departure, sir...'' Jefferson answered, ''Lack of air seems more natural than... well... let's say... death by Ood. I'd appreciate it, sir!''

''God speed, Mr Jefferson,'' Zach sighed.

''Thank you, sir,'' Jefferson replied as Zach cut off the oxygen.

''Report... Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD... deceased... with honours,'' Zach said, clearly on the verge of tears. Alice huddled closer to Jimmy, still breathing heavily. ''43K2.1.''

''Zach... we're at the final junction,'' Danny said, ''9.2. And er... if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives.''

''Noted,'' Zach stated, ''Opening 9.2.''

The shutter opened to reveal more Ood. Alice screamed loudly and grabbed onto Jimmy.

''Lower it now!'' Jimmy shouted as everyone scrambled away.

''Back! Back! Back!'' Danny shouted.

''We can't go back!'' Toby argued, ''The gang point's sealed off, we're stuck!''

Olivia noticed grating above them and jumped up, opening it. Everyone quickly followed, except Toby.

''Hurry up Toby!'' Jimmy shouted, and finally the man jumped upwards.

''Help me!'' he exclaimed, ''Oh, my God... help me!''

''It's this way,'' Danny said as the Ood pursued them through the corridor.

''Hurry up!'' Zach ordered over the comms. Finally, they reached Ood habitation, where the last few Ood started to approach them menacingly.

''Jimmy!'' Alice whined as the Ood came nearer.

''Danny, come on!'' Olivia encouraged as Danny took the computer chip out of his pocket.

''Stop them!'' Toby urged. Danny finally managed to insert the chip into the system. Everyone watched as the reading on the screen went from Basic 100 to Basic 0. The Ood placed their hands on their heads and began writhing in pain, before finally collapsing to the ground. Everyone cheered and smiled.

''I told you you could do it,'' Jimmy smiled at Alice, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. The girl smiled and threw herself at him. ''I'm so proud of you,'' Jimmy whispered, lifting her up.

Olivia looked away sadly before speaking into the comms, ''Zach, we did it. We stopped the Ood. What about Ida and the Doctor.''

''I'm on my way,'' Zach answered.

* * *

'You get representations of the Horned Beast right across the universe,'' the Doctor mused as Ida continued to lower him, ''In the myths and legends of a million worlds. Earth... Draconia, Velconsadine... Daemos... the Kaled God of War... it's the same image, over and over again. Maybe... that idea came from somewhere. Bleeding through... the thought at the back of every sentient mind.''

''Emanating from here?'' Ida supposed.

''It's possible,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''But if this is the original... does that make it real?'' Ida wondered, ''Does that make it the actual devil, though?''

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted, ''Perhaps this is where the idea comes from.'' The cable ran out and the Doctor jerked to a halt.

''That's it,'' Ida stated, ''That's all we've got.''

''You getting any sort of readout?'' Ida asked.

''Nothing,'' the Doctor admitted, checking the readings on his wrist device, ''No idea how far down this place goes. Could be miles, or it could be thirty feet...'' he considered for a moment, ''I could survive thirty feet...''

''Oh no you don't,'' Ida argued, ''I'm pulling you back up.'' She began to reel him back up, but the Doctor pressed a button on his own end, stopping her.

''What're you doing?!'' Ida questioned.

''You bring me back, then we're just gonna sit there and run out of air,'' the Doctor pointed out, ''I've got to go down.''

''But you can't,'' Ida protested, ''Doctor, you can't.''

''There's no other way,'' the Doctor reasoned, undoing one of the hooks to his cable.

''But... I don't want to die on my own.'' She stifled a sob. The Doctor sighed and released another hook.

* * *

The group returned to the exploration deck along with Zach. Jimmy ran to the comms. ''Doctor? Ida? Is anyone there?''

''The comms are still down,'' Zach murmured, ''I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute.'' He started working at the computer.

* * *

''Are you religious?'' the Doctor asked Ida as he undid more hooks.

''Not really,'' Ida dismissed, ''I was brought up Neo Classic, congregational... because of my mum, she was... My old mum. But no, I never believed.''

''Neo Classic,'' the Doctor mused, ''Have they got a devil?''

''No, not as such,'' Ida answered, ''Just um... the things that men do.''

''Same thing in the end,'' the Doctor muttered.

''What about you?''

''I believe there's always more to know,'' the Doctor answered, ''I have certain concepts that I take as fact, but... If that thing had said it came from BEYOND the universe, I'd believe it, but BEFORE the universe... impossible. That's why I travel, to learn. To be proved wrong.''

''Don't go!'' Ida begged.

''Tell my friends I'm sorry I trapped them here,'' the Doctor told her, before releasing the last hook and falling into the pit...

* * *

 **Even for those who don't like Alice, I hope you liked the whole ''face your fears'' part of this chapter. Please leave a review and say what you think!**


	33. The Satan Pit part 3

''Is anyone there?'' Jimmy asked over the comms, as Zach brought them back online, ''Doctor?''

''He's gone,'' Ida said solemnly.

''What do you mean?''

''He fell,'' Ida responded, ''Into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is - miles and miles and miles.''

''How did that happen?'' Jimmy wondered.

''I couldn't stop him,'' Ida murmured, ''He said your names...''

''I'm sorry,'' Zach said, taking the comm from Jimmy, ''Ida? There's no way of reaching you. No cable, no back-up... you're ten miles down... We can't get there.''

''You should see this place, Zach,'' Ida mused, ''It's beautiful. Well, I wanted to discover things...'' She started to cry, ''And here I am.''

''We've got to abandon the base,'' Zach decided, ''I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again.''

''But we'll never find out what it was?'' Ida said, clear longing in her voice.

''Well, maybe that's best,'' Zach reasoned.

''Yeah,'' Ida sighed.

''Officer Scott...'' Zach began.

''It's all right,'' Ida interrupted, ''Just go. Good luck.''

''Thank you,'' Zach said, shutting off the comms, ''Danny - Toby - close down the feed links. Get the retrotopes online. Then get to the rocket - strap yourselves in. We're leaving.''

Jimmy turned to Alice and Olivia, ''Ready to go?'' he asked them.

''What about the Doctor?'' Olivia asked.

''Liv, he's probably dead,'' Jimmy pointed out.

''What if he isn't?'' Olivia argued. It was a fair point. The Doctor could regenerate, but one thing he had told them was that he could still die if killed instantly, as the process wouldn't have time to start.

''They couldn't tell how deep that pit went,'' Jimmy said, ''For all we know, it could be so deep he died the moment he hit the ground. No regeneration, nothing! Besides, even if he did survive, how are we gonna reach him?'' Jimmy knew his words were harsh, but the fact was that his priority now was keeping Alice and Olivia safe.

Olivia nodded sadly and began to move off. Jimmy took Alice's hand and the two followed.

* * *

As they headed towards the rocket, the unconscious Ood started to stir, frightening Alice.

''Did that one just move?'' Toby wondered, pointing at one.

''The telepathic field, it's reasserting itself,'' Danny realised.

''Move it, get to the rocket,'' Zach ordered, ''Move!''

* * *

The Doctor woke up, standing up and realising that his helmet had shattered. Instinctively, he placed his hand against his mouth, only to realise that he could breath.

''I'm breathing,'' he murmured, taking off his useless helmet, ''Air cushion to support the fall...'' he turned to comms on, ''Ida, can you hear me? You can breath down here!''

* * *

''Dislocating B-Clamp,'' Zach said as he got the rocket ready, ''C-Clamp, raising blue nitrates to maximum, Toby, how's the negapact feed line?''

''Clear!'' Toby reported, ''Ready to go, sir. For God's sakes, get us out of here!''

Olivia was sat next to Zach, with Jimmy and Alice in the back with Danny and Toby.

''And... lift-off!'' Zach cheered, as he, Danny and Toby whooped and laughed.

* * *

The Doctor sighed as he watched the rocket fly further and further away.

* * *

''I can't believe we might have left the Doctor down there,'' Olivia muttered as Alice rested her head on Jimmy's shoulder.

''Sorry, but it's too late anyway,'' Zac reasoned, ''Take a look outside. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted. Isn't that right?''

Olivia looked out of the window to see the rocket speeding away from the black hole.

* * *

The Doctor was observing the crude drawing on the walls of the pit and relaying what they showed to Ida.

''History of some big battle. Man against Beast,'' he stated, ''Man defeated the Beast and imprisoned it.'' He noticed a strange vase opposite him and turned to the drawings, which depicted two of the vases. He shone his torchlight to reveal another vase nearby. ''And perhaps this is the key to the cell,'' he mused, touching one of the vases, which caused both to light up. He heard a growl from behind him, and turned to see a huge, horned beast in front of him, roaring crazily.

* * *

Toby smirked as they flew away. ''What's the joke?'' Danny asked him.

''Just... we made it,'' Toby smiled, ''We escaped. We actually did it.''

''Not all of us,'' Jimmy muttered, stroking Alice's hair.

''We're not out of it yet,'' Zach pointed out, ''We're still the first people in history to fly AWAY from a black hole. Toby, read me the stats.''

''Gravity funnel holding, sir,'' Toby laughed, ''Always holding.''

* * *

''I accept that you exist,'' the Doctor admitted as the Beast growled at him, ''I don't have to accept what you are, but you're physical existence, I'll give you that. But I don't understand. I was EXPECTED down here. I was given a safe landing, and air. You need me for something. What for?'' The Beast lunged at him. ''Answer!'' the Doctor ordered.

The Beast remained silent.

''You won't talk,'' the Doctor surmised, ''...or, you can't talk? But that doesn't make sense! I heard you speak before! You had an intelligent voice. Where did that go?''

The Beast continued roaring until the Doctor began to figure it out.

''Body and mind separated!'' he realised, ''I'm talking to the body of the Beast, but the mind is elsewhere.''

* * *

''Stats. at 53, funnel status at 66.5,'' Toby reported, ''Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir. All the way back home. Coordinates set for Planet Earth.''

* * *

''You were imprisoned,'' the Doctor noted, ''A long time ago. And your prison is perfect. If your prison is broken, then the gravity field collapses and this planet falls into the black hole, destroying you. That's why people can survive down here. Your jailers set this up so that if anyone finds themselves down here, they can stop you. The problem being that this only takes down the body. The mind has escaped. But the question is, will your mind die if your body does? Only one way to find out!'' He picked up a rock and prepared to smash one of the vases and destroy the gravity field, before realising something. ''The problem is, if the gravity field goes down, so does the rocket. My friends and the crew, I'll have to sacrifice them to stop you.''

The Beast started to laugh evilly.

* * *

''You OK?'' Jimmy asked Alice.

''Yeah,'' she replied, smiling at him, ''Thanks for keeping me safe.''

''Almost there,'' Toby reported, ''We'll be beyond the reach of the black hole in 40... 39...''

* * *

''If I kill you, I kill them,'' the Doctor noted as the Beast laughed and roared, ''Strangely enough, out of everything I've seen, the most important lesson I ever learned was that sometimes, difficult things need to be done. I may doom my friends and the crew, but I'll be ending your terror.'' He picked up the rock and smashed the vase, causing the planet to shake wildly.

* * *

The rocket began to shake and alarms sounded. ''What happened? What was that?!'' Danny shouted.

''What's he doing? What is he doing?'' Toby panicked bizarrely.

''We've lost the funnel!'' Zach said, ''Gravity collapse!''

''What does that mean?'' Olivia shouted.

''We can't escape,'' Zach told her, ''We're headed straight for the black hole!''

The rocket swerved back and started to hurtle towards the black hole.

* * *

''Prepare to die,'' the Doctor sneered at the Beast, which roared in panic.

* * *

Out of the window, Olivia saw the planet starting to fall into the black hole. ''Doctor,'' she sighed, turning back... to see Toby once again covered in symbols.

''I am the rage...'' he shouted in a deep voice, ''And the bile and the ferocity.''

''Oh my God!'' Alice, who was right next to Toby, screamed in terror.

''I am the Prince and the Fall and the Darkness!'' the Beast shouted through Toby.

''It's him! It's him! It's him!'' Danny muttered.

''Stay where you are, the ship's not stable!'' Zach ordered, ''What is he?! What the HELL is he?!''

* * *

The Beast began to writhe in pain as it burned.

* * *

''I shall never die!'' The Beast raged through Toby, ''The thought of me is forever! In the bleeding hearts of men - in their vanity and obsession and lust...'' Jimmy picked up a gun that was stored nearby, aiming it at the front window. ''Nothing shall ever destroy me. Nothing!'' Jimmy fired the gun, destroying the window, before reaching over Alice and undoing Toby's seatbelt, sending him hurtling out of the rocket and towards the black hole.

''Emergency shield!'' Zach called, hitting a button and allowing a shield to cover the gaping hole in the rocket, ''We've still lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole!

''At least we stopped that thing,'' Olivia reassured him.

''Some victory,'' Zach scoffed, ''We're going in.''

* * *

The Doctor stumbled back as the Beast's body burned up, struggling to keep his balance as the planet shuddered.

* * *

''The planet's lost orbit!'' Danny panicked as he saw the readings, ''It's falling!''

* * *

As the Doctor fled the Beast's burning form, he was blasted forward and hit something. He looked up to see what he had fallen against, and smirked. It was the TARDIS.

* * *

''The planet's gone,'' Danny realised as they neared the black hole, ''I'm sorry.'' Alice started to sob and held onto Jimmy tightly.

''Accelerate,'' Zach said, ''I did my best. But hey - first Human Beings to fall inside a black hole. How about that? History.''

Everyone closed their eyes and prepared for the inevitable, only for the ship to halt... and start to turn away from the black hole.

''We're... turning,'' Zach realised, checking the readings, ''We're turning around. We're turning away!''

''Hello everyone!'' the Doctor called over the comms. Jimmy and Olivia beamed and even Alice cracked a smile, ''Now, are my friends there, by any chance?''

''Doc, we're here!'' Jimmy announced, ''Where are you?''

''I'm towing you!'' the Doctor answered, ''The gravity doesn't affect the TARDIS. My people practically invented black holes. Zach, I have Ida on board.''

''She's alive!'' Zach exclaimed, delighted.

''Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right,'' he told them, before his mood turned more solemn, ''I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet.'' The computer beeped, ''Entering clear space. End of the line, mission closed.'' He smiled. Jimmy and Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, so happy that their friend was still alive.

The Doctor had returned Ida to the rocket, while Olivia, Jimmy and Alice returned to the TARDIS. Much to the Time Lord's annoyance, Jimmy and Olivia had thrown themselves at him the moment they entered, and he'd practically had to wrestle both humans off him, though it seemed they both enjoyed the experience of irritating a grumpy Time Lord.

''I don't know,'' they heard Ida say, as the comms were still active, ''I can't remember.''

''Well, it LOOKED like a box,'' Danny insisted.

''What do you mean 'a box'?'' Zach scoffed.

''Well, down in the hull,'' Danny insisted, ''A big blue box. It just appeared! I don't know!''

''All the best,'' the Doctor called to the crew, ''Have a good trip home. And next time you get curious about something, do NOT go blundering in!''

''But Doctor, what did you find down there?'' Ida wondered, ''That creature - what was it?''

''I don't know!'' the Time Lord admitted, ''Never did decipher that writing. Maybe it's a question best left unanswered.''

''What do you think it was?'' Jimmy asked.

''Don't know. Don't care,'' the Doctor said, ''All that matters is we stopped it.''

''It said one of us would die in battle,'' Olivia recalled.

''It lied,'' the Doctor assured her, before turning to the comms, ''Anyway, Zach, Ida, Danny. Until we meet again.'' He gave them a salute.

''I hope so,'' Ida smiled.

''Thanks, lads!'' Jimmy cheered, making them all smile.

''Hang on though, Doctor,'' Ida said as the TARDIS was about to leave, ''You never really said... you lot... who are you?''

''I think that's another question best left unanswered,'' the Doctor replied with a smirk, ''Don't you?''

Ida rolled her eyes and smiled, as did Zach and Danny, before the Doctor set the TARDIS into flight.

* * *

Later, Jimmy and Alice returned to their shared room, both wanting to get some sleep. Alice stepped out of the bathroom in her pyjamas and climbed into their bed, where Jimmy already lay.

''You OK?'' Jimmy asked as Alice placed her head on his chest.

''Today's been crazy,'' Alice remarked, ''I was so scared.''

''I told you we'd get through,'' Jimmy reasoned, stroking Alice's blonde hair.

''Thanks for looking after me in those tunnels. I think I would have died if you weren't there.''

''It's what I'm here for,'' he smiled, kissing Alice's head.

''I love you, Jimmy,'' Alice said, taking her glasses off and placing them on the nightstand, before turning off the light.

''Love you too,'' Jimmy murmured, though he didn't know how true that was. He _did_ love Alice, but he kept thinking about Olivia. He couldn't choose between them. All he knew was that Alice loved him back, whereas Olivia clearly didn't.

Alice climbed on top of Jimmy, and he put his strong arms around her, protecting her as the two drifted off to sleep.

Unaware that the TARDIS had turned off the heating in their room.

* * *

 **Oh dear! Ol'Sexy really doesn't ship Jimmy/Alice, does she? Hope you enjoyed that episode! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	34. Love and Monsters part 1

_A blonde man stood in a disused building sight and saw a faint shape in the distance. He ran towards it, up the hill, until he reached the top. In the distance were a series of run down outbuildings. However, that was not what the man was looking at. Rather, his focus was on a blue box that looked fairly out of place in the area. The man stared at the box and slowly stepped towards it, as if entranced._

 _He hesitantly placed a hand on the door._

 _''Doctor!''' a voice shouted, ''Doctor, the trap!''_

 _The man ran to where the sound came from, entering one of the buildings, which seemed to be some kind of warehouse. He heard shouts from above him._

 _''Where's he gone?'' a man asked in a posh accent, ''Can you see him?''_

 _''There he is!'' a younger man shouted in a ''street'' accent, ''There!''_

 _''Where?'' the posh man asked._

 _''There!'' a female voice insisted._

 _The man followed the sound of the commotion, reaching the start of a long corridor, where he heard a strange growling noise. He cautiously moved towards the door at the end of the corridor to reveal a ferocious, snarling monster._

* * *

''That's what it did. It went RRROOOOAAAAAAAAARRR!'' the same man recalled into a camera later on, ''And if you think that was the most exciting day of my life - wait 'til you hear the rest. Oh boy...'' he smirked, ''So there I was, with that thing going RAAAAH!''

* * *

 _The monster advanced menacingly on him when a man in an entirely black suit stepped out behind him, dangling a large pork chop. ''Here, boy!'' he called to the creature, ''Look at the lovely food!'' The creature was distracted, so the suited man turned to the blonde man, ''Get out of here, now!'' he ordered. The man hesitated, ''GO!'' the suited man shouted, and the man wasted no time in complying._

 _As he walked away, a young man charged forward with a blue bucket, hurling the contents of said bucket over the creature. There were two young women behind him._

 _''Wrong one!'' the suited man shouted at him._

 _''You said blue!'' the young man argued._

 _''I said not blue, you fool!'' the suited man spat, ''Now you've made it worse!'' The creature roared and charged after the three teens. ''Hold on!'' the suited man called, shutting the door to go after them._

 _The man witnessed the four being chased through the various doors by the creature. First it was chasing the man, then it was chasing the teens, then they were chasing it with a red bucket... it was all very confusing. A second later, the suited man stepped out of one of the doors._

 _''Hold on,'' he began, ''Don't I know you?''_

 _The blonde man took this as his cue to leave. As he fell back against the wall, he heard the sound of engines starting up, and sighed._

* * *

''You can't imagine it, the Doctor's machine, the most beautiful sound in the world,'' the man narrated to the camera, ''Yet that wasn't the first time I met the Doctor - and it certainly wasn't the last. Ohhh no. I just put that bit at the beginning because it's a brilliant opening. But... erm... this is the story of me, and my encounters with alien life-forms. But be warned, because it is gonna get scarrrrry.'' He leaned menacingly towards the camera. ''I- I need a remote control zoom, I'm having to do that with the lean. The _scarrrrry._ But look, don't worry, 'cos it's not just me sitting here talking. Ohhh no.''

* * *

 _''That's Ursula on camera,'' the man said as he stood in an ordinary suburban street._

 _''Hello!'' a female voice called, holding a hand out in front of the camera._

 _''My good friend, Ursula Blake, and my brand-new camera.'' He turned towards a beige coloured house, ''That was my family home, down there,'' he recalled, ''I did try, but there's two women live there now and they're a bit... severe. So... never mind. But that - is where it all started. That's when I first met the Doctor.''_

 _He considered for a moment, thinking of the day he got out of bed to see a man in a black suit standing in his living room._

 _''What was it... erm... I must have been 3 or 4 years old,'' he remembered, ''Middle of the night, went downstairs, and there was this... man.''_

 _'So what happened?'' Ursula wondered, ''Elton, tell me. Why was he there?''_

 _''I don't know,'' Elton admitted, ''I... I still don't know. All those years ago...''_

 _He gestured at the camera, and the filming stopped._

* * *

''OK, first thing's first, my name is Elton,'' Elton introduced in his room, ''Er... not to be confused with...'' he thought of Elton John, ''I left school, got a job, Transport Manager, Rated Logistics, modest little haulage company, perfectly normal life, and then... it all went mad. Two years ago, I was in town, I was stocking up. You know, nothing special, all the usual stuff, when all of a sudden...''

He remembered the day when plastic mannequins had somehow come to life and started attacking people...

''Shop window dummies! Come to life!'' He remembered almost being run over in the scramble to escape, ''I survived... obviously...''

He recalled another incident, ''Twelve months later, I'm back in town. I'm up west, looking for a new suit, something nice and smart, when I hear this plane overhead.''

And it was like no plane Elton had ever seen. A huge spaceship flew overhead, smashing through Big Ben and landing in the Thames.

And another.

''But it wasn't over yet, 'cos then... Christmas Day... I'm in bed fast asleep, nice and cosy, quarter to eight in the morning, when all of a sudden...'' He remembered being asleep in the early morning, only for the windows to shatter loudly, waking Elton. ''And I was stuck in bed, right, 'cos there was glass everywhere!'' he recalled, ''And I was barefoot! I had to invent a rudimentary pulley system, just to reach my boots! And by the time I'd done that...''

He looked out of the window to see a vast spaceship covering the whole of London.

''And that's when it all started happening,'' Elton narrated, ''That's how I met Ursula... That's how I met Victor Kennedy... That's how I met Joshua Greaver... And that's how I finally met the Doctor... and realised the truth.''

''Um, I should say, this isn't my whole life,'' Elton revealed, ''It's not all... spaceships and stuff, 'cos I'm into all sorts of things. Er... I like football... I like a drink... I like Spain, and if there's one thing I really love, Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra - 'cos you can't beat a bit of ELO.''

''So, great big spaceship hanging over London,'' Elton remembered, ''Imagine the theories. The Internet was on meltdown. But I kept on digging. Something was going on. Ohhh yes. And then one day, on some obscure little blog by someone called Ursula Blake, it was like a chance in a million.'' The website displayed a picture of suited man, ''It was him! It was that man again but the photo was new, it was taken on Christmas Day but Christmas just gone. And he looked exactly the same.''

* * *

 _Elton and Ursula were sitting on a park bench, talking happily._

 _''His name is the Doctor,'' Ursula revealed._

 _''Doctor what?'' Elton asked._

 _''That's all anyone knows,'' Ursula answered, ''On Christmas Day I was taking photos all over the place. I went mad with it all - spaceships and lasers and everything. We all went to Trafalgar Square that night, 'cos everyone was celebrating... just being alive. And I snapped him in passing, that's all. He was just some bloke. I didn't realise he was significant, until Mr Skinner pointed it out.''_

 _''Who's Mr Skinner?'' Elton wondered._

 _''Oh, there's a few of us,'' Ursula told him, ''The Inner Sanctum, all studying this Doctor.''_

 _''I've seen him,'' Elton revealed, ''The Doctor - I swear to you, I saw him when I was a kid. He was in my house, and he was downstairs.''_

 _'Don't tell me,'' Ursula supposed, ''He looked exactly the same then as he does now.''_

 _''Yes! Yes!'' Elton cheered, ''Oh my God. You believe me!''_

 _''You're not the only one, you know...'' Ursula revealed._

* * *

''So that's how I met Ursula,'' Elton recalled, '''All thanks to the Doctor. Turns out we read all the same sites and she only lived half a mile away. She was like a proper mate. Poor Ursula...'' He paused, ''But like she said, there was this little community, the select few, all with their stories of the Doctor. This little gang used to meet up, underneath the old library on Macateer Street. Mr Skinner, first name Colin, but we always called him Mr Skinner. I don't know why, we... just did.'' He remembered Mr Skinner talking about the Doctor being a series of archetypes rather than one man. ''Then there was Bridget. She lived way up North, but she travelled down without fail, just for the meetings.'' He recalled Bridget talking about the blue box which seemed to follow the Doctor through history. ''Then, there was Bliss,'' Elton remembered, ''She was ever so sweet, Bliss. Bless Bliss, we used to say.'' He recalled Bliss showing them some artistic representations of the Doctor.

* * *

 _The group were gathered round the table._

 _''We should have a name,'' Ursula proposed, ''You know, as a group.''_

 _''Names are very important,'' Bliss agreed._

 _''What we need is a good, strong name, like a team,'' Elton suggested, ''Something like... London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency. 'LINDA' for short.''_

 _''Say it again,'' Mr Skinner frowned._

 _''London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency.''_

 _'''N'?''_

 _''Fish 'n' Chips,'' Elton explained, ''Rock 'n' Roll... Chaka Demus 'n' Pliers!''_

 _Everyone nodded in agreement._

 _''Oooh, I like it,'' Bridget stated, ''It's not too solemn.''_

 _''I like the 'n','' Bliss agreed._

 _''We're the men from LINDA!'' Mr Skinner cheered._

 _''And the women!'' Bridget pointed out cheekily._

 _''Linda United!'' Mr Skinner continued._

 _''Did you think of that on the spot?'' Ursula asked._

 _''No, I've been wanting to use it for years,'' Elton replied with a smirk._

 _''I give you... LINDA!'' Mr Skinner raised his glass, and everyone toasted the new name happily._

* * *

''So we'd all meet up, every week, and we'd talk about the Doctor for a bit,'' Elton narrated, ''But after a while... Bridget started cooking.'' He remembered the delicious food Bridget used to bring along. ''The next thing you know, Mr Skinner started his readings, 'cos he was writing his own novel.'' He remembered Mr Skinner reading excerpts from his book. ''As time went on, we got to know each other better and better...'' he tensed, remembering how Bridget had originally gotten involved with the group through her searches for her lost daughter. ''Then it turned out that Bridget could play the piano, and I confessed my love of ELO. Next thing you know...''

LINDA had become a band.

''Musical LINDA!'' Elton smiled, ''Just for fun. And that's when it all changed, that Tuesday night in March. That's when HE arrived. That's when we met Victor Kennedy. The golden age - was gone.''

* * *

 _The group were singing, just having fun, when the lights and power cut out. The lift descended slowly, revealing a man they couldn't really see in the darkness. He stepped out of the lift and entered as the group stood, confused._

 _''Lights!'' the man called, and the lights flickered on to reveal a well dressed, overweight man, ''So, we meet at last... "LINDA".''_

 _''Pleased to meet you, sir,'' Mr Skinner smiled, extending his hand, ''I'm sorry, was the music too loud?''_

 _''No no no no, I don't shake hands,'' the man dismissed, ''Back, back. I suffer from a skin complaint. Eczeema.''_

 _''Oh, you mean "eczema"?'' Elton corrected._

 _''Oh, this is worse, much worse,'' the man said, ''I blister to the touch. Back, back. All of you, further, further. Thank you.''_

 _''Sorry, don't mind me asking, but who are you?'' Elton asked._

 _The man, Victor Kennedy, gave a nasty grin, ''I am your salvation.'' He pulled a laptop from his briefcase and set it town on the desk. He motioned from them to sit and played some footage. It showed a suited man getting inside a blue box, along with a pretty, blonde haired young woman, a slightly taller, equally attractive blonde with glasses, and a handsome, well built young man._

 _''That's the Doctor!'' Ursula realised._

 _''It's really him!'' Elton murmured._

 _''You've forgotten your purpose in life,'' Victor sneered, ''You, with your band... and your cakes... and your blubbing and all the while he still exists. The Doctor.''_

 _''Look at him, just look!'' Bridget commented._

 _''Move back, move back, all of you!'' Victor shouted, ''Oh, wait for this, the picture cuts out, but the sound still continues. Listen. Listen to the sound of the universe... yes...''_

 _The sound of engines whirring into life was soon heard, but it was unlike any engines any of them had ever seen._

* * *

 **Hi All! I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been abroad, and then some family issues came up, so I've been busy helping sort it all out. I can't promise I'll update daily like before but I will try to update as frequently as possible.**


	35. Love and Monsters part 2

_Upon hearing the sound, Elton staggered back, remembering the last time he had heard a sound like that..._

 _''What is it?'' Ursula asked, ''What's wrong?''_

 _''Leave him!'' Victor ordered, ''You've heard it before, haven't you? When? When was it? Where? Where were you?''_

 _''I'd forgotten, until now,'' Elton murmured, ''But it was that night...''_

 _''What night?''_

 _''I was just a kid... that's why I went downstairs. It woke me up. That noise...'' Elton paused, ''But what is it? What does it mean?''_

 _''That is a sound of his spaceship,'' Victor revealed, before opening his briefcase and pulling out some files, handing them to the group, ''Right then, homework! Using the Torchwood files, we're able to look at all the old databases in a completely new light. We're able to build up a more detailed profile of the Doctor. I've allocated tasks to each of you. I'd like you to...'' He scaled back when Mr Skinner's hand almost accidentally brushed against his, ''Careful! Watch the eczeema! I'd like you to complete your targets and meet back here this time next week, one step closer to catching the Doctor.''_

 _Everyone sat, nodding at what they needed to do._

 _''Well don't just sit there, MOVE!'' Victor shouted, and everyone started to move out. ''Erm, Bliss?'' Victor called, ''It is Bliss, isn't it?''_

 _''Yeah.''_

 _''Could I have a word with you in private, please?''_

 _''Course you can, yeah!'' Bliss smiled._

 _''Thank you,'' Victor replied, turning to the others, ''Goodbye, goodbye.''_

 _Elton and the others moved out and got into the lift._

 _''Better get to work! Lots to do,'' Elton commented as they stepped out onto the street._

 _''I never thought of it as work,'' Ursula stated._

 _''It's what we've always wanted, though,'' Elton reasoned, ''To find the Doctor.''_

 _''Yeah, I suppose,'' Ursula agreed, and the group set off to their appointed tasks._

* * *

''All of a sudden, without anyone saying so, we were working for Victor Kennedy,'' Elton narrated, ''Though we had to admit, he was right. His methods were much more rigorous. It felt like we were getting closer and closer to the Doctor. We all started to wonder where Bliss had gone, but Victor told us she'd gotten married, and we had no reason not to believe him.'' He shook his head at his own foolishness, before getting back to the point, ''But we did get lucky once. Don't get excited, that's where you came in. Woolwich. Police box. Red bucket, blue bucket. Me so stupid, etcetera.''

* * *

 _Victor towered over Elton as he told him the story of his failure at interacting with the Doctor, ''Useless!'' he spat._

 _''I just froze,'' Elton defended._

 _''You met him… and you froze, you stupid man!'' Victor raised his hand to strike Elton._

 _''You can't hit me!'' Elton pointed out, '''Cos you don't touch, you said so, you get a rash and an itch and...''_

 _''I can use this!'' Victor shouted, grabbing his cane and raising it._

 _Ursula stood up in indignation, ''Use that cane on him and you'll get one hell of a smack off me! And then a good kick!'' She glared at him, ''Is that completely understood, Mr Kennedy?''_

 _''Duly noted,'' Victor breathed, ''Ursula... Blake. Most likely to fight back.'' He stared at Ursula before turning to his desk, ''Right then! We'll change tack, we'll approach this sideways.'' As he spoke, Elton and Ursula smiled at each other. ''If we're to discover the truth about the Doctor, then we need to try and find… them.'' He brought up images of the well built boy, the blonde haired girl, and the girl with glasses._

 _Elton recognised all three._

 _''Now when it comes to the first two, the Torchwood files are strangely lacking,'' Victor explained, ''It seems the evidence has been corrupted, something called 'Bad Wolf' virus. At least we've got these photographs. The third has been identified as Alice Emily McGowan. 18. A Level student from South East London. Parents Thomas and Rachel McGowan. Elton? You've had experience with all three?''_

 _''London accents, all three,'' Elton revealed, ''The boy sounded quite ghetto, the kind of thing you find in the London estates, the blonde girl sounded more estuary, and the one with glasses sounded... posh. Definitely Londoners, all of them.''_

 _''Miss McGowan doesn't appear to have been with the Doctor for long, so accessing through her doesn't appear to be feasible,'' Victor decided, ''So we hit the streets for the other two. We get out there, we take the photographs. Someone's got to know who they are somewhere.''_

 _''Yes, but London's a big place,'' Bridget pointed out, ''I mean I should know, my own daughter's out there.''_

 _''Bridget, don't make this personal,'' Victor dismissed, ''I don't like to be touched literally, OR metaphorically, thank you very much, I haven't got the time. Bleeding hearts outside! Find me those kids!'' He handed them all photos, ''Go. Now, move!''_

* * *

''So it began,'' Elton narrated, ''The impossible task. To scour the mean streets, to search a major capital city for two unknown people. To hunt down that face in a seething metropolis of lost souls. To find those two in ten million...''

* * *

 _Elton's search found him in Brixton, a not particularly nice place to be. He walked up to two young men who both had their hoods up and were smoking. As Elton got closer, he could tell by the smell that what they were smoking was not tobacco. One was a slightly chubby black man, and the other a skinny white man with a blonde beard._

 _''Alright lads?'' Elton called to them only for both to glare at him. He strolled up and showed them the pictures, ''You don't happen to know these two, do you?''_

 _''What's it to you?'' the black man asked, glaring at him._

 _''I'm... just wondering,'' Elton replied._

 _''Don't know the girl, but that's Greaver.''_

 _''Greaver?''_

 _''Jimmy Greaver,'' the white man said, ''He lives on the Stanton Block. Mum's Valerie Greaver. She don't like being disturbed. She can come disturb me any time, though.'' He smirked._

 _''His dad lives not too far from here,'' the black man said, ''Name's Joshua.''_

 _''Where you from anyway, fam?'' the white man asked suspiciously._

 _''I'm not from round here,'' Elton replied with a nervous smile._

 _The two pulled out knives from their pockets, ''Well, you'd best stay away from here, then!'' the white man warned. Elton took this as his cue to run._

 _As Elton ran, he heard a voice shout, ''Oi, Josh, save a few quid for tonight, son!'' he looked over to see a mixed-race man in his thirties smiling and entering a pub. He bore a strong resemblance to the boy in Victor's photos. Target acquired! Elton knew he had been trained for this. Victor's sessions had covered surveillance and espionage. He followed the man into the pub._

 _Step one: engage your target. Find some excuse to start a conversation._

 _But how would he do this?_

 _''You alright, mate?'' the mixed-race man said to him as he nursed a pint of beer, ''You look a bit lost.''_

 _''Yeah, just thinking,'' Elton murmured._

 _Step two: without provoking suspicion, get on first name terms with the target._

 _''What's your name?'' the man asked._

 _''Elton.''_

 _''I'm Joshua,'' he smiled, ''You gonna order something, or what?''_

 _''Er yeah,'' Elton replied, turning to the barmaid, ''Pint of Fosters, please.''_

 _Step three: ingratiate yourself with a joke or some humourous device._

 _''You not from round these parts, Elton?'' Joshua wondered, ''You look like a lost dog, mate!'' Elton smiled and nodded._

 _Step four: find some subtle way to integrate yourself into the target's household._

 _''Tell you what, me and some people are having some drinks tonight, why don't you join us?''_

 _Elton smiled. He could not believe his luck. Granted, the man was clearly already drunk, but if he could strike up a friendship with Joshua..._

* * *

 _He'd gone. Getting drunk with a bunch of middle aged men wasn't how he thought he'd spend his evening, but in all his confusion he proposed that he and Joshua should meet up for a drink every friday after work. Joshua had revealed that he had two sons, the older of which had gone ''travelling''. Elton smiled on the bus home._

* * *

 _''Magnificent!'' Victor beamed as Elton told him what happened, ''Oh I could kiss you! Except I can't, of course. The eczeema.''_

 _''I've even got a picture of him on my phone,'' Elton said, taking out his phone and revealing a picture of Joshua._

 _''Oh it's amazing!'' Mr Skinner remarked, ''You've achieved steps one to four in precise order! How did you manage it?''_

 _''It was difficult,'' Elton lied, ''He's a very secretive man.''_

 _''But how do you move on?'' Bridget wondered, ''Step five, that's the problem...''_

 _''Step five!'' Victor agreed, ''That's this week's homework. I want a full plan of attack from each of you. Now go on, vamoose!'' He banged his cane on the table. ''Avante! There's work to do! And Elton, keep infiltrating, you will do anything to get than information, boy, anything!''_

 _''Yes sir!'' Elton replied enthusiastically._

 _''Oh, oh Bridget!'' Victor called, ''Bridget, oh yes...'' Bridget and Mr Skinner turned to face him. ''Could I have a word with you in private, please?''_

 _''Er, Mr Skinner's giving me a lift,'' Bridget pointed out._

 _''Oh, I can drop you at the station, I'm sure Mr Skinner won't mind, will you?''_

 _''Not at all,'' Mr Skinner affirmed, ''Erm... well, Bridget, I'll see you next week.''_

 _''All right then,'' Bridget said as Mr Skinner gave her a kiss on the cheek, ''Bye bye!''_

 _Mr Skinner stepped into the lift along with Ursula and Elton._

 _''Now Mr Skinner,'' Ursula began, ''I don't mean to pry, but did you give Bridget a little kiss back then?''_

 _''I think I did,'' Mr Skinner replied._

 _''And if you get your way, might there be more little kisses between the two of you?''_

 _''I think there might...''_

 _''I knew it!''_

 _''That's brilliant!'' Elton commented._

 _''Now, let's not get excited,'' Mr Skinner dismissed, ''We'll see.''_

* * *

''Infiltration went well, 'cos Joshua invited me to his flat every week for a drink,'' Elton narrated, ''We'd chill out, watch the footy and have a laugh. I never forgot the mission, but he turned out to be a really good mate, Joshua.''

* * *

 _One evening, Elton had left his jacket on the sofa due to it being so hot. Joshua realised that he'd got no drinks left._

 _''Elton, mate,'' he began, ''You don't mind nippin' down the off-licence, do you?''_

 _''No, not at all!'' Elton smiled and headed out of the door._

* * *

 _He returned later with a large pack of beers, and he realised how much he enjoyed his weakly meetings with Joshua._

* * *

''All of a sudden, a lot of things made sense,'' Elton narrated, ''I'd got so lost in conspiracies and aliens and targets, I'd been missing the obvious. Cos I DID like Joshua, but I liked someone else even more!'' He smiled, thinking of beautiful Ursula.

* * *

 _As Elton neared Joshua's flat, he saw the man outside, glaring at him. ''You OK?'' he asked._

 _''I was gonna pay you back,'' Joshua answered quietly, ''Thought it wasn't fair to make you pay for all that. I was gonna put a tenner in your coat, and look what I found:'' he produced the pictures of the boy and girl. ''Why is there a photo of my son in your pocket?''_

 _''No no no no no, it's not like that,'' Elton defended, ''I can explain! I wasn't being pervy or anything, I wasn't after him! I was looking for the Doctor.''_

 _''I worked that out,'' Joshua spat, ''I thought you were a good mate! We'd meet up and 'ave a laugh! Turns out you only came after me 'cos of the fuckin' DOCTOR!''_

 _''No, but that's how it started, but I changed my mind!'' Elton argued._

 _''Just fuck off!'' Joshua shouted, ''Me and the Doctor might have our differences, but whatever trouble you're looking for, you'll have to go through me first!''_

 _''But Joshua, I only wanted to meet him.''_

 _''Just get out of here!'' Joshua snapped, throwing Elton his coat and storming back inside._

* * *

 _''And he was right!'' Elton shouted at Victor at LINDA headquarters, ''It's shameful, we USED that man...''_

 _''I KNEW I couldn't trust you!'' Victor interrupted, ''You broke cover, you STUPID little man, you failed step five!''_

 _''I don't CARE about step five!'' Elton raged, ''Because it's all gone wrong, Mr Kennedy, ever since YOU turned up! We used to come here every week, and we'd have a laugh. We were friends. No wonder they stopped coming. I mean there's no Bliss any more, and even Bridget, she hasn't turned up.''_

 _''I've been phoning and phoning her, there's no reply,'' Mr Skinner added._

 _''And who can blame her?! I'm sorry Victor, but you're on your own. Because I am leaving! And so are you, Mr Skinner! And as for you, Ursula,'' he walked over to where the woman was sitting, ''You're coming with me. And we're going to the Golden Locust and we're gonna have a Chinese.''_

 _''What's that got to do with it?'' Ursula wondered._

 _''I mean you and me,'' Elton replied, ''Together. Having a meal. If you want...''_

 _''Oh...'' Ursula said, touched, ''I'd love it.''_

 _''But you can't leave,'' Victor argued, ''You'll never know what he was doing, the Doctor. You'll never know what he was doing in your house all those years ago.''_

 _''No. I'll never know,'' Elton decided, seeing where this obsession with the Doctor had led them, ''Ursula, get your stuff. Mr Skinner, are you coming? Not to the Chinese, if you don't mind, just sort of walking out.''_

 _''I certainly am!'' Mr Skinner agreed._

 _''Victor,'' Elton began solemnly, ''Good luck. Good bye.'' The three turned to leave._

 _''Mr Skinner!'' Victor called, ''Would you stay for a minute, please?''_

 _''We're walking out,'' Mr Skinner argued._

 _''I've got numbers for Bridget!'' Victor explained, ''I've kept records, I've got old numbers. We could track her down. Together. You and I.''_

 _''That's more like the old team spirit,'' Mr Skinner reasoned, looking at Ursula and Elton, ''You two have a nice time.''_

 _''I hope you find her,'' Ursula encouraged._

 _''I'll email you,'' Elton promised as they entered the lift._

 _''Mm, prawns!'' Ursula said as they walked hand in hand._

 _''Yeah, I like prawns,'' Elton agreed._

 _''Do you?'' Ursula asked._

 _''Crispy aromatic though,'' Elton said._

 _''Oh, I left my phone...'' Ursula realised as she felt through her pockets._

 _''Really?''_

 _''Yeah! It's not in my pocket.''_

 _''So much for the big exit,'' Elton remarked with a smirk._

 _''Yeah... come on,'' Ursula urged, and they turned back, ''Hurry up.''_

 _They took the lift to the basement, where Mr Skinner was nowhere to be seen. Victor was at his desk, reading a newspaper which blocked him from view._

 _''I'm not stopping, I just left my... ph... phone...'' Ursula murmured, noticing that Mr Skinner was not there. ''Victor?''_

 _''Take your phone and go,'' Victor said, his voice sounding quite strange._

 _''Where's Mr Skinner?''_

 _''He's gone to the toilet,'' Victor claimed._

 _''But... we haven't GOT toilets,'' Ursula pointed out, ''We have to use the pub on the corner.''_

 _''Well... well... well that's... that's where he is, then,'' Victor said._

 _''Help me...'' they heard Mr Skinner say in a muffled voice._

 _''... What was that?''_

 _''Nothing, it was nothing, it was nothing!''_

 _''Help me!'' Mr Skinner said again._

 _''Shut up,'' Victor muttered._

 _''That's Mr Skinner...'' Elton realised._

 _Ursula noticed the clawed, green hands clutching the paper, ''Victor... look at your hands,'' she murmured._

 _''Look at the rest of me,'' Victor laughed, lowering the paper to reveal a large, green, blob-like creature with a mane of black hair, ''You've dabbled with aliens... now meet the genuine article.''_


	36. Love and Monsters part 3

_''Oh my God,'' Ursula spat._

 _''You're a... thing!'' Elton realised._

 _''A THING?'' 'Victor' scoffed, ''This THING is my true form. Better than that crude pink shape YOU call a body.''_

 _''What happened? Where am I?'' Mr Skinner's voice said. Much to their horror, Mr Skinner's face was poking out of 'Victor's' fat belly. ''Ursula? Is that you?''_

 _''That's Mr Skinner!'' Ursula realised, ''What've you done to him?''_

 _''I've absorbed him.''_

 _''Colin?'' Bridget's voice said, ''Is that you? Colin?''_

 _''Bridget, my love?''_

 _''Oh my God!'' Ursula realised, ''That's Bridget!''_

 _''Colin, where are you?'' Bridget cried._

 _''I'm here, Bridget!'' Mr Skinner called, ''It's all right! I'm close.''_

 _''You've absorbed them BOTH!'' Ursula murmured._

 _''What about Bliss?'' Elton wondered, ''Where is she?''_

 _They heard the sound of Bliss straining to say something from within Victor._

 _''... What?''_

 _Victor tilted to one side, lifting up one of his buttocks._

 _''I said "you really don't want to know",'' Bliss cried._

 _''You've absorbed her,'' Elton spat, ''Are you some sort of... Absorbathon? An Absorbaling? ... An Absorbaloff?''_

 _''Yes! I like that,'' Victor muttered._

 _''Let them go,'' Ursula warned, ''I'm ordering you! Let those people go!''_

 _''Oh, but they taste so sweet,'' Victor argued, ''Just think about the Doctor... oooh, how will he taste? All that experience, all that knowledge, and if I've got to absorb Joshua Greaver to get to him, then so be it.''_

 _''Don't you dare,'' Elton warned menacingly._

 _''If I have to beat them out of you!'' Ursula snapped, grabbing Victor's cane and brandishing it over him._

 _''Oh, no!'' Victor cowered, ''Please don't hit me! Look at me! I'm such a slow and clumsy beast. Please don't hit me!''_

 _''Well then... give them back,'' Ursula ordered._

 _''What... you mean like this?'' Victor said, reaching out and grabbing Ursula's arm... and starting to absorb her, ''Just one touch... that's all it takes!''_

 _''Oh, no!'' Ursula screamed, ''Oh... oh no!''_

 _''Leave her alone!'' Elton shouted._

 _''Don't touch me!'' Ursula panicked, ''Oh, Elton... I'm so sorry... you can't touch me.''_

 _''Ursula...'' Elton murmured, helpless._

 _''"Most likely to fight back" indeed,'' Victor sneered._

 _''Leave her alone!'' Elton shouted, but it was too late, as Ursula was absorbed completely into Victor._

 _''Yes,'' Victor cheered._

 _''No, that's not fair!'' Elton protested._

 _''She tastes like chicken,'' Victor snarled, Ursula's face appearing on his chest._

 _''Elton, where are you?'' Ursula asked._

 _''Please... Mr Kennedy, please,'' Elton begged, ''I'm asking you. I'm begging you. Give her back to me.''_

 _''I can't,'' Victor jeered, ''Once they've been absorbed, the process is irreversible.''_

 _''Wait a minute...'' Ursula said, ''Now I've been absorbed, I can read his thoughts. Oh my God, Elton... you're next... get out of here...''_

 _''Isn't she the clever one?'' Victor sneered._

 _''Run, Elton! Run!'' Ursula screamed._

 _''Save yourself, boy! Mr Skinner added._

 _''Run for your life!'' Bridget agreed._

 _Elton hesitated, only for Victor to leap over the desk and roar, making Elton run out of the building as fast as he could, with Victor in pursuit. Elton ran down the street, but Victor's large form was much quicker then he looked. Finally, Elton found himself cornered at a dead end. He sighed and fell to his knees in defeat._

 _''Ohh, what's the matter?'' Victor mocked, ''Have you given up so soon?''_

 _''There's no point,'' Elton murmured, ''Where would I go? Everything I ever wanted... has been absorbed.''_

 _'Oh, Elton. Don't say that,'' Ursula argued._

 _''But it's true!''_

 _''Then join us,'' Victor urged, ''Join us, little man. Come on... everlasting peace. Come on. Join us. Dissolve into me...''_

 _Victor stepped towards Elton, ready to absorb him, when a familiar sound was heard._

 _It was the Doctor's machine, which appeared out of thin air right in front of them. The Doctor stepped out, glancing at Elton, ''Someone wants a word with you,'' he said._

 _Joshua's son, Alice, and the other blonde, who Joshua had said was called Olivia, stepped out. Jimmy advanced dangerously upon Elton._

 _''Do you think you're cool? Treating my dad like a mug?'' Jimmy shouted in Elton's face._

 _''Go on, Jimmy, knock him out!'' Alice encouraged with a nasty smirk on her face._

 _''No, let him explain,'' Olivia protested._

 _''Nobody asked you!'' Alice responded spitefully, rounding on Olivia._

 _''Great big absorbing creature from outer space, and you're having a go at me?'' Elton murmured, looking between the three teens in bewilderment. Alice took a good look at the creature and stepped back._

 _''No one treats my dad like that,'' Jimmy warned menacingly._

 _''At last,'' Victor laughed, ''The greatest feast of all. The Doctor.''_

 _''What are you?'' the Doctor wondered, studying the creature._

 _''Absorbaloff,'' Victor identified._

 _''Looks like a Slitheen,'' Olivia remarked._

 _''Do you happen to be from Raxacorricofallapatorius?'' the Doctor asked._

 _''No!'' Victor shouted, ''I'm not! They're swine! I SPIT on them! I was born on their twin planet!''_

 _''What's the twin planet of Raxacorricofallapatorius?'' the Doctor asked._

 _''Clom.''_

 _''Clom?'' the Doctor repeated, mildly amused._

 _''Clom. Yes,'' Victor agreed, ''And I'll return there victorious, whilst I possess your travelling machine.''_

 _''I would pay to see you try,'' the Doctor snarled menacingly._

 _''Oh, I will,'' Victor insisted, ''You'll surrender yourself to me, Doctor, or this one dies.'' He gestured to Elton. ''You see, I've read about you, Doctor. I've studied you. So passionate, so sweet. You wouldn't let an innocent man die. And I'll absorb him, unless you give yourself to me.''_

 _''OK. Go ahead,'' the Doctor replied nonchalantly._

 _''He'll die, Doctor,'' Victor warned._

 _''I don't really care,'' the Doctor told him, ''What's he ever done for me?''_

 _''So be it,'' Victor spat, turning to Elton, ready to absorb him. The Doctor smirked, knowing what was about to happen._

 _''I don't think the others will be very happy, though,'' he remarked._

 _''Others?'' Victor wondered._

 _''He's right,'' Ursula agreed, ''The Doctor's right. We can't let him. Oh, Mr Skinner... Bridget... PULL!''_

 _''No!'' Victor protested._

 _''For God's sake, pull!''_

 _''No, don't,'' Victor begged as the absorbed faces started to pull against him, ''Get off, get off!''_

 _''If it's the last thing we ever do, Bliss!'' Ursula urged as they started to stretch Victor apart, ''All of us together! Come on! Pull! LINDA united! PULL!'' Victor dropped his cane. ''Elton! The cane! Break it!''_

 _Elton picked up the cane and snapped it in half, causing blue energy to pour out of it's remains. The fist on the end opened to reveal a blue light._

 _''My cane!'' Victor panicked, ''You stupid man... oh no!'' Everyone watched as Victor dissolved into the ground._

 _''... What did I do?'' Elton wondered._

 _''The cane created a limitation field,'' the Doctor theorised, ''Now it's broken, he can't stop. The absorber is being absorbed.''_

 _''By what?''_

 _''By the Earth.''_

 _For a fleeting moment, the shape of Ursula's face appeared on one of the paving stones, ''Bye bye, Elton. Bye bye,'' she said, sinking into the ground. A tear ran down Elton's cheek._

 _''Who was she?'' Olivia asked._

 _''That was Ursula,'' Elton nearly sobbed. Jimmy's former anger was gone, and he put a hand on the man's shoulder._

* * *

''And that's it,'' Elton narrated, ''Almost. Because the Doctor still had more to say. And then he explained. That night all those years ago.''

* * *

 _''You don't remember, do you?'' the Doctor said to Elton as the five sat together, ''There was a shadow in your house. A living shadow in the darkness. An elemental shade had escaped from the Howling Halls. I stopped it, but... I wasn't in time to save her.''_

 _Elton remembered coming into the living room, seeing the Doctor standing over him... and seeing a blonde haired woman unconscious on the ground._

* * *

''Because that was the night my mother died,'' Elton remembered, sighing and closing his eyes, ''We forget because we must.''

* * *

''So, there you go,'' Elton summarised later, ''Turns out I've had the most terrible things happen. And the most brilliant things. And sometimes, well, I can't tell the difference. They're all the same thing. They're... they're just me. You know, Stephen King said once, he said... "salvation and damnation are the same thing". And I never knew what he meant. But I do now. 'Cos the Doctor might be wonderful, but thinking back... I was having such a special time. Just for a bit. I had this nice little gang. And they were destroyed. It's not his fault. But maybe that's what happens if you touch the Doctor. Even for a second. I keep thinking of Jimmy and Olivia and Alice. And how much longer before they pay the price.''

''Oh, now don't get all miserable,'' Ursula's voice said, ''Come on, Elton. You've still got me.''

''Oh yeah,'' Elton agreed, '''Cos the Doctor said he could do one last thing with his magic wand...''

* * *

 _The Doctor was working on one of the paving slabs with his sonic screwdriver, ''If I can key into the absorption matrix and separate the last victim...'' he mused, ''It's too late for total reconstruction, BUT...'' He stood up and turned to Elton, ''Elton! Fetch a spade!''_

* * *

''Even then, after all that... the Doctor saved me one last time,'' Elton smiled. He stood up and retrieved a paving slab... which had Ursula's face on it. ''Here she is.''

''Could be worse,'' Ursula reasoned, ''At least I'll never age. And it really is quite peaceful, you'd be surprised.''

''It's a relationship... of sorts... but we manage,'' he said to the camera, ''We've even got a bit of a love life.''

''Oh, let's not go into that,'' Ursula commented.

''And I don't care what anyone thinks,'' Elton said, ''I love her.''

''Ahh,'' Ursula smiled.

''But the thing is...'' Elton said, picking up a small remote and zooming in on himself, ''There we are... I've even bought a remote zoom.'' he put the remote down, ''But what I wanted to say is... you know, when you're a kid, they tell you it's all, grow up. Get a job. Get married. Get a house. Have a kid, and that's it,'' he shook his head, ''Ah. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It's so much darker. And so much madder.'' He paused for a moment and smiled... ''And so much better.''

* * *

 **Y'know, when I was rewatching this to write the episode, I was wondering why the fandom hates it so much. It's not one of my favorites, but it's not a bad episode by any means. The show has produced much worse than this. Please leave a review and say what you think.**


	37. Fear Her part 1

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS to find that he had landed right in front of a crate and was blocked completely. ''Ah,'' he muttered, stepping back inside, dematerialising and rematerialising at a ninety degree angle, so that their exit was open. He stepped out, followed by Olivia, Jimmy and Alice.

''Near future?'' Olivia noted, looking at some posters nearby.

''Apparently so,'' the Doctor agreed, leading them off. They walked onto a street which bore the ''London 2012'' banner, ''30th Olympia,'' the Doctor realised.

''Surprised we didn't think of this before,'' Jimmy mused.

''We're just in time for the opening ceremony,'' the Doctor told him, ''Want to go and have a look?''

Jimmy noticed some missing posters tacked onto a lamppost, ''Oi, Doc!'' he called, ''Come and look at this.''

The Doctor walked over and studied the poster, ''Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this,'' he mused, ''Why's it so cold...? Is something reducing the temperature...?''

''Why would someone take kids?'' Olivia wondered, though she did not want to ponder on the answer.

''What makes you think it's a person?'' the Doctor asked her.

''Whatever it is, it's got people scared,'' Jimmy stated, watching an old woman hurrying inside a house fearfully. He looked back to see that the Doctor had already headed off to investigate. ''He always fucking does this,'' Jimmy laughed to Olivia and Alice.

The Doctor ran to where it was said that one of the children disappeared. He stepped into the front garden and stood in front of the mini football goal. He held his hand out in front of him, as though feeling something invisible. He crouched down, his hand hovering over the grass.

* * *

As Jimmy, Olivia and Alice hurried after the Doctor, they saw a car break down in the middle of the road.

''There you go,'' a council worker commented, ''Fifth today. Not natural, is it?''

''I dunno what happened,'' the driver remarked, ''I had it serviced less than a month ago.''

''Nah, don't even try and explain it, mate,'' the worker waved off, ''All the cars are doing it. And do you know what? It's bonkers. Bonkers.'' The driver got out, ''Come on then, pal. I'll help you shift it. Quicker you're on the way, happier you'll be.''

The worker started to push the car forwards, and the driver got back inside.

''Do you need some help, mate?'' Jimmy asked.

''No, we're all right, son,'' the worker dismissed, though he was clearly straining.

''I think you need help, mate,'' Jimmy insisted, before stepping forward to help push the car. Finally, they managed to start it up, though the worker ended up falling to the ground.

''Cheers mate,'' the driver called as he drove off.

''What's your name?'' Olivia asked the worker.

''Kel,'' he answered.

''Does this happen a lot?'' Jimmy asked, walking back to Alice and putting his arm around her.

''Been doing it all week,'' Kel muttered frustratedly.

''Since those kids started disappearing?'' Alice figured.

''Yeah, I s'pose so,'' Kel agreed, not seeing the connection.

* * *

The Doctor wondered what this strange sensation above the grass was, ''How bizarre,'' he mused at the ticklish sensation.

''What's your game?'' a voice said behind him. The Doctor stood up to see a man in front of him.

''Go away,'' the Doctor said imperiously.

* * *

''Every car cuts out,'' Kel told them as they walked, ''The council are going nuts. I mean, they've given this street the works. Renamed it... I've been tarmacking every pot hole...'' He gestured proudly to the ground, ''Look at that. Beauty, init? Yep! And all that is because that Olympic Torch comes right by the end of this close. Just down there. Everything's got to be perfect, ain't it? Only it ain't.''

''It takes 'em when they're playing,'' an old lady said as she walked up to them.

''Who does?'' Olivia asked.

''Danny... Jane... Dale...'' the old lady recalled, ''Snatched in the blink of an eye.''

They heard the sound of commotion and turned to see the Doctor fighting with a man, ''I'm a senior police officer,'' the Doctor insisted as the man pushed him. The Doctor shoved the man back and rummaged in his pocket for the psychic paper.

''We've had plenty of coppers poking around here,'' the man said as the Doctor grabbed him, ''And you don't look or sound like any of them.''

''I told you the Doctor was an idiot,'' Alice muttered in Jimmy's ear.

''Those are my associates,'' the Doctor claimed, pointing at the three teenagers, who all gave a hesitant wave.

''Well, they look less like coppers than you do,'' the man scoffed.

''Plain clothes,'' the Doctor lied, finally finding the psychic paper and shoving it in the man's face, identifying him as a police officer.

''What are you going to do?'' a young black woman asked as she joined them.

''The police have knocked on every door,'' the old woman said, ''No clues, no leads, nothing.''

''Look, kids run off sometimes, all right?'' the man dismissed, ''That's what they do...''

''Dale Hixon in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then...'' she mimiced the boy disappearing as more people walked up, ''Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us.''

''Listen to me...'' the Doctor began.

''Why don't we start with him?'' one of the neighbours said, pointing at Kel, ''There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night.''

''Fixing things up for the Olympics!'' Kel protested.

''Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it,'' the man remarked.

''All of you, just...'' the Doctor tried again.

''You don't...'' Kel argued, ''What you just said, that's slander!''

''I don't care what it is!'' the neighbour shouted.

''I want an apology off her!'' Kel insisted.

''Stop picking on him,'' the old lady urged.

''Yeah, stop picking on me!'' Kel agreed.

''And stop pretending to be blind!'' the old lady continued, ''It's evil!''

''I don't believe in evil,'' the neighbours sneered, glaring at Kel.

''Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van!'' Kel shouted.

''Ay, ay, ay, that's not what she's saying,'' the man defended.

''Would you stop ganging up on me?!'' Kel protested.

''Feeling guilty, are we?'' the neighbour snapped.

''YOU! WILL! BE! SILENT!'' the Doctor shouted. All the humans gasped and faced him. Jimmy and Olivia were reminded of just how frightening the Doctor could be, and Alice looked like she were about to wet herself, ''In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen,'' the Doctor confirmed when he had everyone's attention, ''Snatched out of thin air, right?''

''Look around you...'' the old woman said, ''This was a safe street 'til it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?''

Olivia noticed a young black girl watching out of the window. The black woman noticed too and hurried into the house.

* * *

Later, the Doctor and his friends were in the man's front garden, the Doctor smelling something strange.

''Can you smell it?'' the Doctor asked.

Olivia sniffed, ''Sort of... metal,'' she theorised.

''Don't be stupid,'' Alice scoffed, ''Why would it be metal.''

Olivia looked taken aback. There was simply no need for that spiteful remark.

''Nah, she's right,'' Jimmy agreed, ''I can definitely smell something metal.'' Alice folded her arms petulantly at the fact that he'd agreed with someone who wasn't her, before the Doctor walked on.

* * *

The Doctor led them into a narrow alleyway. ''Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other,'' he remarked, feeling the same sensation he's felt back in the garden, ''It's that feeling again,'' he showed his companions his hand, on which the hairs were standing, ''Hairs on the back of my hand standing. That is bizarre.''

''And there's that smell again,'' Olivia noted, ''Like burnt wires or something.''

''There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished,'' the Doctor revealed, ''Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this.''

They walked back towards the street and saw an cat sat on the grass. ''Hello,'' Olivia cooed, picking up the cat and stroking it, ''You're gorgeous.''

The Doctor looked on, bemused.

''What?'' Olivia asked.

''I'm not a cat person,'' the Time Lord said, ''Not after that incident with the cat nuns.''

Jimmy and Olivia giggled at the memory.

''Give him to me!'' Alice told Olivia, who handed to animal to the other girl, ''I love cats.''

''Didn't have you down as a cat person,'' Jimmy remarked. Olivia smirked. Alice was the most catty person she had ever met.

''What's that smirk for?'' Alice rounded on Olivia, setting the cat down and letting him run into a box. Olivia ignored Alice and playfully ran towards the box, only to find that the cat had vanished.

''That doesn't make sense,'' she remarked, ''It's just gone!''

The Doctor wondered over to get a closer look, but was shocked by the smell. ''Iron residue,'' he remarked, scaling back, ''That takes some doing! It's just been taken out of existence!''

''So the cat's been snatched?'' Jimmy asked.

''It can harness huge reserves of ionic power,'' the Doctor noted, ''We need to find the source of that power. Find the source and you will find... whatever has taken to stealing children... and cats. See what you can see.'' The three teens nodded as the Doctor headed off.

* * *

As they walked down the street, everything was quiet apart from a dog barking. Suddenly, they heard a loud banging noise from one of the garages.

''What was that?'' Olivia asked as they stepped cautiously towards the garage door, and they heard the noise again.

''Should we open it?'' Jimmy asked.

''Don't be stupid!'' Alice argued, grabbing his arm.

''I'm gonna open it!'' Jimmy decided, slowly pulling open the door open. They peered inside for a second, only to be set upon by what appeared to be a ball of wire. It knocked the three to the ground and hovered dangerously over them. Alice screeched while Jimmy and Olivia tried to hit the strange creature.

The Doctor walked up round a corner, before noticing his friends under attack. He ran over and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the creature, reducing it to a tiny, inactive ball. Olivia stood up hesitantly, while Jimmy studied the ball that had dropped into his hands. He slowly stood and helped Alice to her feet, giving the frightened girl a hug to make her feel better.

''You OK?'' he asked.

''Yeah,'' Alice replied, letting go and smiling at him.

The Doctor snatched the ball out of Jimmy's hand, ''What is this thing?'' he asked his friends.

''No clue,'' Jimmy admitted, ''It's dead.''

''It was never alive,'' the Doctor dismissed, ''It's animated by the same energy that's snatching people.''

* * *

He led them back to the TARDIS, where he placed the ball on the TARDIS console for scanning. The screen was displaying some bizarre readings.

''That's strange,'' the Doctor remarked.

''What is it?'' Jimmy asked.

The Doctor pulled a pencil from his pocket and used the eraser at the back on the ball, which started to disappear, ''It's graphite,'' the Doctor realised, ''Made out of the same materials as an HB pencil.''

''We were attacked by a scribble?'' Olivia laughed.

''Scribble creature,'' the Doctor corrected. ''Brought into being with ionic energy. So whatever's taking can also create. But why this thing?''

''Maybe it was a mistake,'' Jimmy reasoned, ''You make a mistake, like writing, or drawing or whatever, so you scribble it out!''

''Like a child's drawing!'' Olivia figured, remembering the girl watching them earlier, ''The girl!''

''What girl?'' the Doctor asked.

''There was a girl staring at us out of the window earlier,'' Olivia recalled, ''Something seemed... off about her. Even her mum looked creeped out.''

''Let's go and have a word with them,'' the Doctor decided.


	38. Fear Her part 2

''We can't just knock on people's doors and ask if they're aliens!'' Alice pointed out as the Doctor rang the doorbell.

''Al, this man has no limits,'' Jimmy laughed, though he knew he shouldn't be encouraging the Time Lord. After a few moments, the black woman came to the door.

''Can we speak to your daughter?'' the Doctor asked imperiously.

''No!'' the woman answered defensively, ''You can't.''

The Doctor did not move.

''Why?'' the woman asked after a tense moment, ''Why do you want to see Chloe?''

''Just wondering if she'd be willing to help us find out what's going on...'' the Doctor said.

The woman paused for a moment, ''Can you help her?''

''I can try...'' the Doctor said, stepping inside.

The woman, Trish, led them into the living room, where Olivia, Alice and Jimmy sat down. The Doctor remained standing, watching the television broadcast of the Olympic torch-bearer.

''She stays in her room, most of the time,'' Trish remarked, ''I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone.''

''What about her dad?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Chloe's dad died a year ago,'' Trish said.

''I'm sorry to hear that,'' Olivia told her.

''You wouldn't be if you'd known him,'' Trish scoffed.

''Let's go and meet Chloe,'' the Doctor decided.

''I should check on her first...'' Trish hesitated, ''She might be asleep.''

''Are you afraid of your daughter?'' the Doctor wondered.

''I want you to know before you see her that's she's really a great kid,'' Trish defended.

''I'm sure she is,'' the Doctor concurred.

''She's never been in trouble at school... you should see her report from last year. As and Bs.'' She smiled fondly.

Olivia piped up, ''Can I use your loo, please?'' she asked. Trish nodded and Olivia stepped out of the room.

''She's in the choir,'' Trish continued to the Doctor, ''She's singing in an old folks home. Any mum would be proud. You know... I want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor. Because right now, she's not herself.''

* * *

Olivia walked up the stairs to see a shadow blocking the light from one of the doors. She saw movement within and quickly hid herself inside an airing cupboard, watching as Chloe stepped out of her room. Once Chloe was gone, Olivia sneaked out of the cupboard, shutting the doors as quietly as possible, before stepping into Chloe's room. Looking inside, she saw hundreds of drawings covering the walls. The wardrobe door rattled, making Olivia jump and turn towards it. When she turned back, she saw one of the drawings of a boy baring it's teeth at her. That was strange. A second ago the boy was depicted frowing... What was going on?

* * *

The Doctor, Jimmy, Alice and Trish stepped into the kitchen, where Chloe was getting some milk.

''I'm the Doctor,'' he introduced, ''This is Jimmy and Alice.''

''I'm Chloe Webber,'' the girl introduced.

''What are you up to?'' the Doctor questioned.

''I'm busy. I'm making something,'' Chloe revealed, ''Aren't I, mum?''

''And like I said, she's not been sleeping,'' Trish stated.

''You've been drawing, though,'' Jimmy commented.

''They don't stop moaning,'' Chloe remarked.

''Chloe...'' Trish tried.

''I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning...''

''Who don't?'' the Doctor asked.

''We can be together,'' Chloe said.

''Sweetheart...'' Trish began, moving towards her daughter.

''Don't touch me, mum,'' Chloe snapped.

* * *

Olivia heard the wardrobe rattling again, and nervously took a step towards it. She opened the wardrobe doors slowly, and saw the clothes being blown by some wind. Olivia brushed the clothes aside to reveal a huge drawing of a red, bearded man with glowing red eyes.

''I'm coming...'' it rasped.

* * *

''I'm busy... Doctor,'' Chloe snapped, walking back to her room.

''What a freak!'' Alice laughed to Jimmy, earning her a furious glare from Trish.

''Doctor!'' Olivia's voice called from upstairs, prompting everyone to hurry to Chloe's room.

* * *

''I'm coming to hurt you...'' the huge drawing rasped as Olivia stared, transfixed.

The Doctor ran in and slammed the doors shut.

''Doctor, wait!'' Olivia urged. The Doctor shook his head.

''What the hell was that?'' Trish wondered.

''It was this... big drawing,'' Olivia recalled, ''It was this man... and he was...''

''What've you been drawing?'' Trish asked, going to open the wardrobe but being stopped by Olivia.

''I drew him yesterday,'' Chloe answered.

''Who?''

''Dad.''

''Your dad?'' Trish's eyes widened, ''But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?''

''I dream about him, staring at me,'' Chloe revealed.

''I thought we were putting him behind us,'' Trish countered, ''What's the matter with you?''

''We need to stay together,'' Chloe said.

''Yes, we do,'' Trish agreed.

''No. Not you. Us,'' Chloe said. This got the Doctor's attention, ''We need to stay together. And then it'll be all right.''

''Freak...'' Alice muttered nastily.

''There's something weird about those drawings, Trish,'' Olivia said.

''Who gave you permission to come into her room?'' Trish spat coldly, ''Get out of my house.''

''Tell us about the drawings, Chloe,'' the Doctor urged.

''I don't wanna hear any more of this,'' Trish decided.

''That drawing spoke!'' Olivia insisted.

''He's dead,'' Trish dismissed, ''And these, they're kids pictures. Now get out!''

''Chloe's the one snatching the kids!'' Olivia shouted back at the woman, who was not listening.

''Get out.''

''Those drawings move!''

''You've seen it,'' the Doctor deduced, ''Out of the corner of your eye.''

''No I haven't,'' Trish argued, though she was convincing no one.

''You dismissed it, because nobody would believe you.''

''She's a child...'' Trish started.

''A child that you're terrified of,'' the Doctor finished, ''There's nowhere to turn because nobody would believe you. Except me.''

''Who are you?'' Trish asked.

''Help.''

* * *

The Doctor had gathered everyone downstairs.

''I swear,'' Olivia insisted, ''Those pictures are alive.''

''Ionic energy,'' the Doctor theorised, ''Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kid of holding-pen made up of ionic power.''

''What about the picture of her dad?'' Jimmy asked.

''How many times do I have to tell you?'' Trish shouted, ''He's dead.''

''If you say so...'' Olivia murmured.

''If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things...'' the Doctor considered, ''Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares. That dad seems very real. That's the dad she's drawn and he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world...''

''She always got the worst of it when he was alive,'' Trish recalled.

''How can a kid be doing this?'' Jimmy wondered.

''Let's find out,'' the Doctor decided. He led them back up to Chloe's bedroom. ''Hello again,'' he said to the girl, who was sat on her bed. He knelt in front of her and placed his finger on her temples. Jimmy tensed as he remembered the last time he had seen the Doctor hold someone in such a way, when he had wiped Alice's memory. He held his girlfriend's hand a bit tighter.

Chloe shut her eyes and fell against the bed.

''I can't let him do this...'' Trish tried, but Olivia stopped her.

''Trust him,'' she urged.

''Now we can talk,'' the Doctor said, standing up.

''I want Chloe,'' Chloe said in a bizarre whisper, ''Wake her up. I want Chloe.''

''Who are you?'' the Doctor asked. This was obviously not Chloe speaking.

''I want Chloe Webber!'' 'Chloe' shrieked.

''What've you done to my little girl?'' Trish cried.

''I'm speaking to you,'' the Doctor insisted, ''The entity that is using this human child. I request parlez in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation.''

''I don't care about shadows or parlez,'' 'Chloe' argued.

''So what do you care about?''

''I want my friends.''

''What are you?''

''I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair. And I hate it!''

'Chloe's' eyes snapped open.

''Identify yourself!'' the Doctor ordered.

''Isolus.''

The Doctor froze. This explained everything. ''Isolus!'' Of course!''

''Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family,'' She started drawing on a piece of paper.

''What's that?'' Trish asked as the drawing started to take shape.

''The Isolus Mother, drifting in Deep Space,'' the Doctor explained, ''See, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores. Her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them. They need to be together. They cannot be alone.''

''Our journey is long,'' the Isolus agreed.

''The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod,'' the Doctor recalled, ''They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up.''

''Floating for thousands of years?'' Alice repeated, ''How do they manage it?''

''We play,'' the Isolus answered.

''Play?'' Jimmy repeated.

''While they travel, they play games,'' the Doctor explained, ''They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play. It keeps them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each others love. Without it, they're lost.'' He turned to the Isolus, ''Why did you come to Earth?''

''We were too close.'' She started drawing another picture.

''That's a solar flare from your sun,'' the Doctor surmised, ''Would've made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods.''

''Only I fell to Earth,'' the Isolus revealed, ''My brothers and sisters are left up there. And I cannot reach them. So alone.''

''Where did your pod crash?'' the Doctor asked.

''My pod was drawn to heat...'' the Isolus answered, ''And I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. Alone. She needed me. And I her.''

''You empathised with her,'' the Doctor reasoned, ''You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you.''

''I want my family. It's not fair,'' the Isolus raged.

''You want to make a family,'' the Doctor reasoned, ''But you can't stay in this child. It's wrong. You can't steal any more friends for yourself.''

''I am alone,'' the Isolus argued.

There was another thump from the window, making everyone jump, ''I'm coming to hurt you,'' the drawing of Chloe's dad rasped. Chloe's body started to tremble in fear. ''I'm coming.''

''How do you calm her?'' the Doctor asked Trish.

''What?!'' Trish asked, confused.

''When she has nightmares, what do you do?''

''I... I... I sing to her.''

''Sing, NOW!'' the Doctor ordered.

''Chloe... I'm coming,'' Chloe's dad roared.

''Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he...'' Trish sang, taking her place near Chloe.

''Chloe... Chloe...'' the father roared.

''Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be,'' Trish sang, stroking her daughter's hair. The banging started to fade, ''Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be.'' The banging stopped completely. Chloe was now asleep.

* * *

''Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper,'' Trish explained as she started gathering all the pencils lying around in the sitting room, ''When he'd had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free.'' Olivia handed her a bunch of pencils, ''I thought it was over.''

''Did you talk to her about it?'' Jimmy asked.

''I didn't want to,'' Trish reasoned.

''Maybe that's just it,'' Jimmy reasoned, ''Chloe's lonely 'cos she's so frustrated at everything that's happened. Problem is, she has no one to talk to.''

''Her and the Isolus,'' the Doctor mused, ''Two lonely kids who need each other.''

''Will it ever stop pulling kids in?'' Jimmy wondered.

''Doubtful,'' the Doctor replied, ''Isolus families are enormous, and it wants to recreate that.''

''How big?'' Olivia questioned.

''Say around... four billion?''

The three teenager's mouths hung open as they considered the implications.

* * *

''We need that pod,'' the Doctor decided as they left the house.

''But I thought it was destroyed?'' Jimmy reasoned.

''No, it can't have been,'' the Doctor argued, ''It's been leaching all the heat from this area. Perhaps that's enough power to launch. It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus. We can scan for the same trace we picked up from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit.''

They reached the TARDIS and the Doctor let them in.

''I can understand where that thing's coming from,'' the Doctor told his friends as he worked, ''A lonely child travelling a long way on it's own.'' He gestured to Jimmy, ''Give me that thing in your left hand.'' Jimmy slotted it into the device the Doctor was building.

''Sounds like you're on it's side!'' Alice argued. She was sat on the captain's chair.

''I sympathise,'' the Doctor explained, ''I don't expect you to understand.''

''What's that supposed to mean?'' Alice asked, eyes narrowing.

''Nothing,'' the Doctor rasped, ''I just didn't expect a self-absorbed narcissist to consider the feelings of others.''

Alice's mouth hung open.

''Doc, come on, that's out of order!'' Jimmy argued.

''I'm right, aren't I?'' the Doctor retorted, ''Binary dot.''

Jimmy handed him the binary dot frustratedly.

''Gum,'' the Doctor called to Olivia, who spat out her chewing gum onto his hand.

''Why can't you two get along?'' Jimmy asked the Doctor and Alice.

''Maybe you should ask the person who calls me a peadophile, a freak and a creepy alien.''

''You _are_ a creepy alien,'' Alice argued.

''All of you calm down!'' Olivia ordered.

''Shut up Liv,'' Alice sneered spitefully. They were distracted by a beeping sound on the TARDIS screen.

''It's the pod!'' the Doctor smiled, ''It's been located! It's in the street!'' He ran out of the TARDIS, his friends following. ''It's about two inches across,'' he told them, ''Dull grey, like a gulls egg. Very light.''

''These pods are powered by heat, yeah?'' Jimmy asked. Suddenly, they heard a clang, and turned to see the device the Doctor had built in pieces on the floor. The Doctor and the TARDIS were nowhere to be seen.


	39. Fear Her part 3

It didn't take long to figure out what had happened to the Doctor and the TARDIS. Jimmy, Olivia and Alice hurried back to Trish's house and banged on the door, barging in as soon as it was opened.

''It's okay! I've taken all the pencils off her!'' Trish tried as they headed up the stairs. They burst into Chloe's room to see the girl drawing a picture of the Doctor and the TARDIS.

''Leave me alone!'' Chloe whispered. This was clearly the Isolus speaking, ''I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!''

''Don't you see?'' Jimmy asked, ''The Doctor could have helped you!''

''Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber!''

Jimmy shook his head in exasperation. Olivia nudged him, realising that the only way to sort this out was to find the pod.

''We need to find the pod!'' she urged him.

Jimmy nodded and started to head out, ''Don't let her out of your sight!'' he ordered Trish as he left.

As they headed out of the house, Olivia saw Kel finishing work on the road.

''They run off heat,'' Jimmy recalled, distracting Olivia from her thoughts.

''Look at this finish,'' Kel remarked, ''Smooth as a baby's bottom.''

''Kel!'' Olivia called, running up to the man, ''Has anything given off loads of heat recently?''

''I mean, you can eat your dinner off this,'' Kel continued, ''Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one!''

''Kel!'' Olivia shouted, finally getting his attention, ''Think back six days!''

''Six days...'' Kel mused, ''When I was laying this the first time round!''

''What?'' Jimmy asked, not quite keeping up.

''Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time.''

''That's it!'' Alice realised, ''If that thing runs on heat, then it's got hot tar right on top!''

''Al, you're brilliant!'' Jimmy gushed, kissing the bespectacled blonde on the lips.

''Blended to a secret council recipe,'' Kel agreed. Olivia stood and ran up to Kel's van, pulling the door open, ''Ah... ah! I don't keep it in the van!'' Olivia jumped into the van, grabbing an axe, ''Ay, that's a council van. Out,'' Kel protested, ''Whoa, wait, wait, wait, you just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back. No don't, wait, put the axe back in the van, that's my van, gimme the axe.''

Olivia jumped out and brought down the axe hard against the road, digging it up.

''No! Wait! No!'' Kel protested, ''No! You... stop! You just took a council axe - from a council van - and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!''

Jimmy looked into the hole Olivia had dug, and found... the pod! ''Council tar,'' he smirked, ''Restored this thing!''

''What is it?!''

''A spaceship!'' Olivia cheered, the three teens headed back to Trish's house, bursting in through the front door.

Jimmy noticed that Trish was not with Chloe, ''I told you to keep an eye on her!'' he shouted at her.

''My God,'' the commentator on the TV remarke,d ''Er... what's going on here?''

They turned to the screen. Every single person at the Olympic stadium had disappeared.

Kel followed them inside, ''I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there, you don't go digging up...''

''Look at that!'' Jimmy interrupted.

''The crowd has vanished!'' the commentator said, ''Er... um... they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone. Er... um... right in front of my eyes. Um... it's impossible! Bob, can we join you, um, in the box?'' The box was empty... ''Bob? Not you too, Bob?''

''It won't stop,'' Olivia realised, ''The Doctor said it has four billion brothers and sisters.''

Jimmy hurried up the stairs, Alice and Olivia following. ''Open the door!'' he shouted, as he found that the door was barricaded, ''We found the pod! You don't need to do this!''

''It's locked!'' Olivia realised.

''Chloe?!'' Trish urged.

''All of you, stand back!'' Jimmy urged. They did so, and Jimmy stepped back and kicked the door open.

''Chloe!'' Olivia called, seeing the girl drawing the entire planet.

''I'm coming to hurt you...'' the father roared, ''I'm coming...''

Jimmy moved forward the stop her, but the wardrobe doors rattled violently, making him scale back.

''If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out,'' the Isolus said through Chloe, ''We will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair.''

''We've got the pod!'' Jimmy argued, showing it to her.

''The pod is dead.''

''We just need to heat it up!'' Olivia argued.

''It needs more than heat.''

''What does it need?'' Jimmy asked.

''I'm not being funny or nothing, but that picture just moved,'' Kel interrupted. Everyone looked where he was pointing, ''And that one!'' He pointed at the picture of the Doctor and the TARDIS, although now the Doctor was pointing at a drawing of the Olympic torch.

''The Doctor drew that!'' Olivia figured, ''But what does it need apart from heat?''

''It's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon,'' the commentator remarked on the screen as the torch bearer headed towards the stadium, ''It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. And it's a beacon of love.''

''Love!'' Jimmy repeated, ''Liv, that's it! The Doctor said they need to be loved! Maybe their ships need that too!''

''It's worth a try!'' Olivia reasoned. As Olivia and Alice kept an eye on Chloe, who was still drawing the planet, Jimmy ran out onto the street, where the torch bearer was just arriving.

''Sorry, you'll have to watch from here,'' a policeman said, stopping him as he stepped into the crowd.

''This is important,'' Jimmy argued, ''I need to get closer.''

''No way!'' the policeman insisted.

''You don't understand!'' Jimmy shouted.

* * *

''Chloe..'' the father roared.

''Chloe...'' Trish uttered fearfully.

''I'm coming to hurt you.''

''My baby!'' Trish shouted at the wardrobe, ''You're not going to hurt her again!''

''I'm coming.''

* * *

The pod started to chirp as the torch bearer ran past, clearly receiving something from the event.

''I hope this works,'' Jimmy murmured, ''Feel the love. Let's 'ave ya!'' He hurled the pod at the torch bearer, who was startled for a second, before continuing. The pod was drawn into the flame. Jimmy smiled, his plan having worked.

* * *

Chloe had almost finished drawing the earth when she stopped and turned to them.

''I can go home,'' the Isolus remarked, ''Goodbye, Chloe Webber. I love you.''

Olivia and Alice watched as a tiny, flower-like creature flew out of Chloe's mouth and fluttered out of the window.

''Mum?'' Chloe muttered, happy to be restored to herself.

''I'm here,'' Trish comforted.

''Mummy!'' Chloe threw herself into her mothers arms, and Trish returned the embrace, overjoyed to have her daughter back.

* * *

''You did it!'' Kel said to Jimmy, who was still laughing with delight, ''What was it you did?''

Jimmy smiled and hugged the man, watching as the missing children literally appeared out of thin air.

''I don't know who you are, or what you did, but thank you, darling!'' the old woman from earlier said as the children greeted their overjoyed parents, ''And thank that man for me too!''

Jimmy considered for a moment. If the children were back, surely the Doctor would be too?

* * *

Trish led Chloe downstairs, followed by Olivia and Alice, only for the front door to slam shut, as did all the other doors in the hallway.

''What going on?'' Alice asked fearfully.

''Get out of there!'' Jimmy shouted from the other side of the front door.

''Jimmy!'' both blonde girls called.

''The door's stuck!'' Trish realised as she tried to get it open.

''Mummy...'' Chloe cried.

''Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you...'' the father rasped as a red shadow started to appear over the stairs.

''Jimmy, get me out!'' Alice panicked.

''Please, dad. No more,'' Chloe begged.

''Chloe...'' the father roared.

''How do you stop your nightmares of him?'' Olivia asked.

''I'm coming...''

''Jimmy, I'm scared!'' Alice whimpered as Trish tried to force open the door.

''Mummy...'' Chloe cried.

''I'm with you, Chloe,'' Trish promised, ''You're not alone. You'll never be alone again.''

''Sing!'' Jimmy urged over the door, ''That stopped it last time! Try it and see if it worked!''

''Chloe... Chloe... Chloe... Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you.''

Trish and Chloe hesitantly began singing the Kookaburra song in unison... and it was working. The roars were becoming more decent and the red shadow was starting to fade. Olivia smiled while Alice breathed a sigh of relief.

''... merry merry king of the bush is he...'' the two sang, ''Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be.''

The shadow was gone. Trish opened to door to Jimmy, and Alice threw herself at him. Jimmy laughed and swung the girl around, kissing her on the lips while Olivia looked away.

''Where's the Doctor?'' Olivia asked worriedly. Jimmy gave her a solemn look, having no answer to that question.

* * *

''Just look at this!'' the commentator remarked later, ''Utterly incredibly scenes at the Olympics stadium... eighty thousand athletes and spectators, they disappeared. They've come back! They've returned. They've reappeared. It's quite incredible. Bob, this will certainly...''

''But where's the Doctor?'' Jimmy asked as he held Alice close to him.

''The torch bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble,'' the commentator noted, ''We did see a flash of lightening earlier which seemed to strike him... erm, maybe he's injured... he's definitely in trouble.'' They watched the torch bearer collapse to the ground. ''Does this mean that the Olympic Dream is dead?''

A familiar, suited figure picked up the fallen torch and continued running on.

''Doctor!'' Olivia exclaimed, eyes widening.

''There's a mystery man... he's picked up the flame...'' the commentator said, ''We've no idea who he is... erm... he's carrying the flame, yes! He's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him. It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light. It's hope. And it's courage. And it's love.''

Everyone smiled as the watched the Time Lord carry the torch to the stadium.

The Doctor ran up the red carpeted stairs with the torch. He observed the cheering crowds for a second, before nodding and lighting the Olympic flame.

''Go on,'' he encouraged, ''Join your brothers and sisters. They'll be waiting.'' Unseen by anyone apart from the Doctor, the Isolus pod zoomed away.

* * *

The Doctor walked back onto the street later, watching everyone enjoying themselves.

''Oi!'' a familiar voice called. The Doctor turned to see Jimmy, Olivia and Alice behind him.

''Good show, everyone!'' he remarked to them.

''It was, wasn't it?'' Olivia agreed.

''Can we go to the games?'' Jimmy asked.

''It's what we came for,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''Give us a hint!'' Jimmy urged.

''I'll tell you this; Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put.''

''Seriously?'' Jimmy wondered.

''Wait and see!''

Fireworks went off in the sky above them.

''That's beautiful,'' Alice commented. Jimmy gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

''Hmm,'' the Doctor murmured.

''What is it?'' Olivia asked.

''Something in the air. Something coming,'' the Doctor mused.

''What?'' Jimmy asked.

''A storm's approaching.''

All three teens glanced nervously at him and shuddered.

* * *

 **I'm really looking forward to the finale. _Army of Ghosts/Doomsday_ is one of my favorite DW stories ever and I had great fun adapting and remoulding it to these characters. I can't wait for you guys to see it!**


	40. Army of Ghosts part 1

Olivia stepped onto the console room having woken up not too long earlier. She strolled up and leant against the console. When she did so, she heard a soft hum and felt a calming feeling coursing through her. Ever since Jimmy had started dating Alice, it seemed almost like the TARDIS was comforting her. She gave the console a pat and flopped down onto the captain's chair. She loved being on the TARDIS, but having to stare at Jimmy and Alice cuddling up every day broke her heart.

Olivia heard the sound of someone coming into the room and turned to see Jimmy, who was wearing nothing but tracksuit bottoms.

''You alright?'' he asked.

''Yeah, fine,'' Olivia answered, ''Why are you up early?''

''Morning workout,'' Jimmy answered.

''That explains the tracksuit,'' Olivia reasoned, ''I just couldn't sleep. Where's the Doctor?''

''I don't know,'' Jimmy admitted, ''Probably off being rude to someone. Y'know, he would have been great at our school.''

''No, he wouldn't,'' Olivia laughed.

''He would!'' Jimmy insisted, ''I can see him and Ian Roberts getting into a punch up within 10 minutes of meeting. Your friends could invite him to your parties.''

Olivia conjured up the mental image of the Doctor at a party in his entirely black suit, which looked more appropriate for a funeral. She pictured everyone else dancing and having a good time while the Doctor stood in the middle of the dance floor with his permanently grumpy expression. The very thought made Olivia laugh hysterically. Jimmy found it hilarious too, and the two locked eyes. They stared at each other for a second before the door opened again. It was Alice, who was still wearing her pyjamas and clearly looked like she had just gotten out of bed. Her expression was one of delight.

''Jimmy, I just got a call from my dad!'' she announced, jumping into his arms.

''What'd he say?'' Jimmy asked, lifting her up.

''He said that him and mum just found out that I've got an interview for economics at CAMBRIDGE!''

''Oh my God!'' Jimmy smiled, setting his girlfriend down, ''You never told me you applied to Cambridge!''

Alice shrugged, ''Wanted to save the news for WHEN I got in!''

''Al, I'm so proud of you!'' Jimmy said, kissing her on the lips, ''You've got to be really smart to even get an interview!''

''I got straight A's last year,'' Alice told him.

''You're gonna nail that interview,'' Jimmy assured her.

''Can the Doctor take us to like, a day or so before so I can get ready?'' Alice asked.

''Yeah, he'll do that,'' Jimmy affirmed, ''When is it?''

''I wrote down all the details, they're in our room.''

''Tell you what,'' Jimmy decided before they headed back, ''If we go to before your interview, why don't we stop back at mine. I want my mum to meet you.''

''That's cool,'' Alice said, giving Jimmy another kiss and leading him by the arm to their room.

Olivia sighed. As soon as Alice had come in, Jimmy hadn't even looked at her.

* * *

The TARDIS landed on Frederick Street, with Jimmy and Alice stepping out hand in hand. Olivia and the Doctor stepped out afterwards. They walked along towards Jimmy's flat, stepped into the block and bundled into the lift, which took them to Jimmy's floor. The four walked to Jimmy's door and he let them in.

''It's only us, mum!'' Jimmy called. Adam ran out of his room, looking taller than ever, and hugged Jimmy. ''Hey, bruv!'' Jimmy laughed. Jimmy's mother stepped out of the living room and hugged her son.

''Oh, it's so good to see you!'' she gushed. She waved at Olivia and exchanged a brief nod with the Doctor, before noticing Alice, ''Who's this?''

''This is my girlfriend. Alice.''

Valerie's eyes widened, ''Please to meet you,'' she smiled at Alice, ''Well that's big surprise.''

Jimmy smirked.

''But I've got a bigger one,'' Valerie revealed, ''Your nan's coming back. grandma Pat!''

''But mum, she passed away,'' Jimmy pointed out.

''She's back!'' Valerie insisted. Adam nodded in agreement.

''Mum, what's going on?'' Jimmy wondered.

''Nan's back!'' Valerie repeated, ''Ten past, any second now.''

Suddenly, a tall, transparent, featureless humanoid appeared in front of them.

''Mum,'' Valerie crowed, ''Meet Jimmy.''

''This isn't possible,'' Jimmy remarked. He turned to see the Doctor had already left to investigate, and the humans followed him out of the flat.

* * *

''They're everywhere!'' the Doctor noted as he stepped out of the block. And he wasn't wrong. There were ghosts all over the street, and nobody seemed the least bit concerned. Indeed, most people seemed to be interacting with the ghosts.

''Doctor, look out!'' Olivia called as they stepped out of the block. A ghost passed harmlessly through him.

''Midday shift's ending soon,'' Valerie explained.

''Shift?'' the Doctor wondered, ''Ghosts have fixed shifts? What is going on?''

''This is weird,'' Jimmy remarked.

''Are they not actual ghosts?'' Alice questioned.

''I doubt it,'' Jimmy said.

''Nobody seems bothered by this at all,'' the Doctor mused.

''Why should we?'' Valerie questioned, before looking at her watch, ''Twelve minutes past. Shift's over.'' The ghosts slowly faded away, leaving the Doctor and his friends standing dumbfounded while everyone else went about their business.

* * *

Later, everyone regrouped in Valerie's living room. The Doctor was flicking through the television channels to see how big this ghost phenomenon was in scale.

''On today's _Ghostwatch_ , claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge,'' a presenter said, ''It's almost like a military display...

The Doctor flicked to the next channel, ''And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts. From London, through the North and up into Scotland,'' a weatherman said.

''How bizarre,'' the Doctor mused. He flicked to the next channel which showed the Trisha goddard show.

''So basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost?'' Goddard asked.

''He's MY ghost and I love him, 24/7!'' Eileen said as a ghost stood next to her.

He flicked again, ''Well, no one needs me anymore!'' Derek Acorah said.

He flicked again, ''My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered... Ectoshine!'' a woman said in an advert. The Doctor brought up news footage from France and India, showing ghosts around landmarks in those countries, then brought up footage of three Japanese women showing off their ghost branded t shirts.

''They're all over the world,'' the Doctor realised. He switched channels again.

''Listen to me, Denn Watts,'' Peggy Mitchell shouted, ''I don't care if you HAVE come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me, GET OUT!''

This made all the humans laugh. The Doctor muttered something about ''moronic apes'' and switched off the television.

''When did it start?'' the Doctor asked.

''Not long ago,'' Valerie revealed, ''We just woke up and they were just... there. But they weren't there to hurt us. They were friendly. Then we started to realise they'd come back. Everyone we lost.''

''What makes you think it's nan?'' Jimmy asked.

''We can feel it!'' Adam insisted, ''Can't you?'' Jimmy shook his head.

''You have to want to feel it,'' Valerie urged.

''The more you want it, the stronger it gets?'' the Doctor theorised, ''Like a psychic link. Maybe that's how they're getting through. Your hopes and wishes bringing them into this existence.''

''So what are they?'' Olivia asked.

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted.

''They look human,'' Valerie reasoned.

''I'm not sure,'' the Doctor said, ''They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot.'' He stood and decided to get to work.

* * *

''The paper says they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds,'' Olivia said as she stepped into the TARDIS. The Doctor was working underneath the grating.

''Let's get to work,'' he said, stepping out of the grating holding some strange equipment. He stepped outside where Jimmy and Alice were cuddling outside. ''Are you two going to waste my time all day?'' the Doctor muttered. Alice did a silent impression of him speaking when he wasn't looking. The Doctor laid out three cones in a triangular formation.

''When's the next shift?'' he asked Valerie over the phone.

''Quarter to,'' she answered.

''What does that stuff do?'' Jimmy questioned.

''Triangulates their point of origin.''

''Could it be the Gelth?'' Olivia wondered.

''Doubtful,'' the Doctor answered, ''They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper. Tricking idiotic humans into thinking they're the deceased loved ones and using that hope to come through.''

''Olivia, give me a hand!'' he called, running back into the TARDIS with the girl following, pulling a long cable with him and plugging it in. ''As soon as it becomes activated, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop...'' he showed her the sonic screwdriver, ''Setting 15B, hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop.'' Olivia nodded, ''If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left.'' He pointed at the button in question, ''This one. Two minutes to go.'' He ran outside. Olivia continued checking the screen and started redoing her lipstick at the same time. Alice stepped inside as well. At the indicated time, she pressed the sonic screwdriver to the console.

The Doctor ran around pressing the device he had created onto the cones.

''What's the line doing?'' he called to Olivia.

''It's all right, it's holding!'' the blonde called.

'''It's holding'!'' Alice repeated nastily. Alice had been making these spiteful remarks towards her for quite a while now.

''What's your problem?'' Olivia asked, continuing to work on her lipstick.

''Do you think I'm stupid?'' Alice asked, snatching Olivia's lipstick out of her hand and studying it. She pulled a much more expensive looking lipstick from her pocket and compared the two, before throwing Olivia's back to her, ''You think I don't notice how you look at Jimmy. All those sad little glances. 'Oh, Jimmy, notice me!' 'Look at me, Jimmy!' You're pathetic, Liv.''

''I'm pathetic?'' Olivia scoffed, putting the lipstick back in her pocket, ''Sorry, which one of us gets handed everything on a plate by mummy and daddy, yet still feels the need to be a _snob_ towards everyone?''

''Yeah, just keep talking,'' Alice jeered, ''The fact is, you're always gonna be second best while I'm around, and you know it''

Olivia looked down. In a way, Alice was right. Alice had been the most popular girl at their school, whereas Olivia had just been part of her group. Alice was better looking and her grades were much higher. Although Alice had been her friend during those days, she had often felt slightly insecure around the other girl, who just seemed better than her in every way. And it hurt to hear Alice now actively taunting her about those insecurities.

''Jimmy knows it too,'' Alice mocked, ''That's why he chose me. Because I'm something that you're not. He'd never go for a pathetic, try-hard _wannabe_ like you.''

Olivia finally lost patience and ripped Alice's glasses from her face.

''Don't touch my glasses! They're Versace!'' Alice protested. She tried to snatch them back, but Olivia responded with a hard _slap_ across Alice's face. Alice scaled back, nursing her stinging cheek.

''Here we go!'' the Doctor called outside.

''The scanner's working...'' Olivia replied, turning to the screen, ''It says "delta one six".''

''Liv, please, I can't see!'' Alice begged. Olivia glared at her and _snapped_ the expensive frames in two. For a second, Alice looked shocked and scared, but then her expression slowly turned into a smirk. She snatched the halves of her glasses back from the confused Olivia, and ran out of the TARDIS.

Olivia wondered what Alice was so happy about. She had looked through Alice's glasses before and knew how bad the girl's eyesight was. Why would she be smiling at being essentially blinded? Then Olivia slowly started to put the pieces together, and she shuddered as she realised that she'd just played right into Alice's hands.

* * *

 **Oooh, what has Alice planned? I hope you all enjoyed Olivia finally putting Alice in her place and hope you liked the explanation for all the nasty remarks Alice had made towards Olivia over the past few episodes. Please leave a review and say what you think!**


	41. Army of Ghosts part 2

''This is it,'' the Doctor said in anticipation, watching as a ghost appeared in the triangular energy field. Alice came bounding out of the TARDIS with an upset expression on her face.

''Jimmy!'' she called, ''Look what Liv did to my glasses!'' She showed the halves of the snapped frames.

''What? Why would she do that?'' Jimmy questioned.

''I dunno,'' Alice lied, ''She just came up to me and pulled them off.''

''Right...'' Jimmy said, about to storm into the TARDIS.

''Jimmy, later!'' the Doctor ordered, not even looking away from the ghost.

* * *

Olivia watched from the scanner as Alice spun her sob story to Jimmy. The Doctor put on what appeared to be 3D glasses in order to observe the ghost, before turning a knob on the device on the floor and flicking some switches. This seemed to cause the ghost to shudder and groan.

''Don't like it, do you!'' the Doctor sneered, ''What are you?'' Where do you come from?'' The ghost tried to take a swipe at him, ''So much for friendly.''

The ghost continued to shudder until it and the containment field both faded away. The Doctor and Jimmy began gathering up all the equipment they had been using, before taking it all into the TARDIS.

''I said so!'' the Doctor said as they entered the ship, ''Those ghosts have been FORCED into existence for one specific point! And I can track down the source.'' He started up the TARDIS.

''Liv, why the fuck did you break Alice's glasses?'' Jimmy shouted.

''She said I was a pathetic wannabe,'' Olivia revealed.

''I didn't,'' Alice sniffled.

''You lying little _bitch!_ ''

''Don't call her that!'' Jimmy raged.

''As though you didn't call her that every day for years!'' Olivia retorted, ''Then suddenly she wants to have sex with you and all is forgiven!'' The Doctor raised an eyebrow at this.

''That's not what this is about!'' Jimmy argued, ''You can't do that! You know how bad her eyesight is!''

''You didn't care about her eyesight when you were rubbing her glasses in grease from your food!''

Jimmy opened his mouth to respond, but realised Olivia had a point there.

Olivia noticed Alice smirking behind Jimmy, ''Look, she's loving this!'' she shouted. Jimmy turned around, but by the time he did, Alice had already switched back to her lost-little-girl-who-can't-see-very-well act, looking at the ground and sniffling.

''No, she isn't!'' Jimmy responded, pulling his apparently upset girlfriend into a hug. Now that Jimmy was facing away, Alice was now smirking again. Her ploy to eliminate Olivia as competition had worked.

''You know what, fuck both of you!'' '' Olivia said, undoing the necklace she had worn every day since Jimmy had given it to her and hurling it at him. For a second, Jimmy looked as though he was going to beg her to put it back on, then he simply opened up the TARDIS grating to look for some tape. He found it quickly and began working at taping Alice's glasses back together.

''I can't walk around wearing taped glasses!'' Alice protested, ''I'll look stupid.''

''Yeah, but I don't want you to go to your interview blind,'' Jimmy pointed out, ''Just trust me and wear'em.'' He stood up out of the grating and gently placed the glasses on Alice's face.

The TARDIS slowly ground to a halt, and the Doctor turned on the scanner to reveal several soldiers outside, pointing guns at the box.

''We can't go out there!'' Alice protested.

'' _You_ can't,'' the Doctor retorted, heading outside.

''She's right, though!'' Jimmy reasoned, ''They've got guns.''

''True, but perhaps this is the sort of military unit that allows you to plead your case before shooting,'' the Doctor suggested, ''If it isn't, than I'm dead.'' He smirked before stepping outside, his hands up.

A woman hurried into the room, ''Oh...! Oh, how marvellous,'' she called, starting to clap, ''Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!''

Strangely, the soldiers started to clap, too.

''My name's the Doctor,'' the Doctor introduced.

''Oh, I should say! Hurray!'' the woman agreed, and they all started clapping.

''I didn't think I was such a popular man,'' the Doctor remarked.

''You're not,'' the woman retorted, ''But I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would BE here. The Doctor AND the TARDIS...!'' They started to applaud once more.

The Doctor was finding this very confusing. He gestured for the strange people to stop applauding him and turned to the woman, who was clearly in charge.

''Who are you then?'' he asked her.

''Oh, plenty of time for that,'' she dismissed, ''But according to the records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor and his companions. That's a pattern isn't it, right?'' The Doctor studied her for a second. ''There's no point hiding anything. Not from us,'' she warned menacingly, ''So where are they?''

Within the next few seconds, the Doctor formulated a plan in his head. He decided he would take Jimmy and Alice out of the TARDIS. That way, Olivia could sneak out later and do some more digging into this strange place.

''Very well,'' the Doctor said, he reached into the TARDIS, first grabbing the arm covered by the sleeve of a coat, then the one that was wearing a bracelet. He dropped his psychic paper inside covertly before pulling Jimmy and Alice out of the TARDIS. ''Meet James Greaver and Olivia Alison,'' he introduced.

''But...'' Alice started, but the Doctor gave her a look which clearly showed that she needed to play along.

''In any case, lead us on to this bizarre place you seem to be running,'' the Doctor crowed, and woman led everyone off.

''What's he planning?'' Alice asked.

''I dunno,'' Jimmy admitted.

* * *

Olivia watched the large group leave on the scanner, cringing as Jimmy and Alice walked hand in hand.

* * *

''It was only a matter of time until you found us,'' the woman said, leading them towards a doorway, ''And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor. Welcome... to Torchwood.

She led them into a huge storage facility which had all manner of alien artifacts.

''Oh my God!'' Alice murmured, ''That is so cool!''

''That's a Jathar Sunglider,'' the Doctor stated, eyeing a spaceship.

''Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago,'' the woman said.

''What, did it crash?''

''No, we shot it down,'' she said, ''It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare. The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us! Now if you'd like to come with me.'' The Doctor glared after her, remembering the aftermath of the Sycorax incident, ''The Torchwood Institute has a motto: "if it's alien, it's ours". Anything that comes from the sky - we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire.''

''There isn't a British Empire,'' Alice countered.

''Not yet,'' the woman replied, before turning to a passing soldier, ''Ah, excuse me...'' she took a weapon out of his hand, ''Now, if you wouldn't mind... do you recognise this, Doctor?''

''That's a particle gun,'' the Doctor identified.

''Good, isn't it?'' Yvonne marvelled.

''It's the twenty-first century,'' the Doctor argued, ''You can't HAVE particle guns.''

''We must defend our border against the alien,'' she countered, handing the weapon back to the soldier, ''Thank you... Sebastian, isn't it?''

''Yes, Ma'am.''

''Thank you, Sebastian,'' she said to the man, who was walking off, ''I think it's VERY important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skills. That's what it's all about these days. I'm a people person.''

''I don't see the purpose in such things,'' the Doctor dismissed, ''They strike me as an excuse by stupid people to waste more time.'' Jimmy and Alice laughed at the stealth insult. ''Anyway,'' the Doctor continued, as though he hadn't just called the woman stupid, ''What's your name?''

''Yvonne, Yvonne Hartman.'' The Doctor pulled two large devices from a box, ''Ah yes. Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric.''

The Doctor studied the devices and dropped them back into the box, ''I don't have time for this procrastination,'' the Doctor decided, ''What's going on with these ghosts?''

''As yes, the ghosts. They're er... what you might call a side effect.''

''Of what?''

''All in good time, Doctor,'' Yvonne assured, ''There is an itinerary, trust me.''

Suddenly, they saw the TARDIS being driven along on the back of a truck.

''Don't touch that!'' the Doctor ordered.

''"If it's alien, it's ours."''

''Stupid apes...''

''Oi!'' Jimmy called, though he smirked. As the TARDIS was driven past, the Doctor made eye contact with Olivia, who was still inside. He nodded at the blonde as the box went out of site. Olivia shut the doors and looked down, where she found that the Doctor had carelessly dropped his psychic paper. She smirked and picked it up.

* * *

''All those times I've been on Earth, I'VE never heard of you,'' the Doctor said to Yvonne as she escorted himself, Jimmy and Alice through a corridor.

''But of course not,'' Yvonne dismissed, ''You're the enemy. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown.''

''1879...'' he recalled, ''Torchwood House in Scotland!''

''That's right,'' Yvonne agreed, ''Where you encountered Queen Victoria and the werewolf.''

''You met a werewolf?'' Alice asked Jimmy.

''Yeah, it was massive,'' Jimmy recalled.

''Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great,'' Yvonne explained, ''And fighting the alien horde.''

''If I'm an enemy, does that mean I'm a prisoner?'' the Doctor asked.

''Oh yes,'' Yvonne said casually, ''But we'll make you perfectly comfortable. And there is so much you can teach us. Starting with this.''

She pressed her ID card into a digital lock, opening a door into a room with an enormous sphere at the end of it.

''Now, what do you make of _that_?'' Yvonne asked the Doctor, who studied the sphere.

An Indian man noticed their arrival and walked over to them, ''You must be the Doctor,'' he said, extending his hand, ''Rajesh Singh. It's an honour, sir.''

The Doctor ignored him, too transfixed with the sphere. Jimmy shook the man's hand on the Doctor's behalf.

''What is that thing?'' Alice wondered, ''There's something... wrong with it.''

''What makes you think there's something wrong with it?'' Rajesh asked.

''It just makes my skin crawl...'' Alice remarked. Jimmy had to agree. The Doctor stepped up the steps to the sphere.

''Well, the sphere has that effect on everyone,'' Yvonne said, ''Makes you wanna run and hide. Like it's forbidden.''

''We tried analysing it using every device imaginable,'' Rajesh said as the Doctor looked at it through his 3D glasses, ''But according to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat. No radiation. And has no atomic mass.''

''But we can see it!'' Jimmy argued.

''Fascinating, isn't it?'' Rajesh said, ''It upsets people because it gives off... nothing. It is... absent.''

''Well, Doctor?'' Yvonne asked.

''This is a Void Ship,'' the Doctor revealed, taking off the 3D glasses.

''And what is that?'' Yvonne asked.

''A vessel designed to exist outside time and space,'' the Doctor explained, jumping down from the stairs, ''I always thought it was just a theory. Never seen one in real life, but here it is. This thing travels through the void.''

''And what's 'the Void'?'' Rajesh asked.

''The space between dimensions,'' the Doctor explained, ''There are different universes. Parallel universes. Billions of them existing alongside each other. The Void is the space in between. Containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that, nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down. No life. No time. Without end.''

''But someone built the sphere,'' Rajesh reasoned, ''What for? Why go there?''

''To explore,'' the Doctor theorised, ''To escape. You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang... end of the universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation.''

''You see, we were right,'' Yvonne smiled, ''There _is_ something inside it.''

''Indeed,'' the Doctor agreed fearfully.

''So how do we get in there,'' Rajesh asked.

''Don't even think about it,'' the Doctor shouted, standing up, ''Whatever alien junk you're storing at this farcical institute of yours, it's child's play compared to the level of technology needed to build a Void Ship. Whatever abomination is inside there is currently the most dangerous thing on Earth. We send it back where it came from. How did it get here?''

''Well, that's how it all started,'' Yvonne remembered, ''The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake.''

''Show me,'' the Doctor ordered, storming out of the room... in completely the wrong direction.

''No, Doctor!'' Yvonne called, and the Doctor switched directions sheepishly.

* * *

Olivia stepped out of the TARDIS onto the floor of the storage area. She tried to walk one way, but two men were talking in front of her. She tried another way, but two soldiers marched past. Once they were out of the way, Olivia donned a lab coat that was lying around and headed off after the first person she saw, seeing what she could find out about this place.

* * *

''The sphere came through here. A hole in the world,'' Yvonne said as she led them to a white wall, ''Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up.''

''How did you even find it?'' the Doctor asked.

''Well, we were getting warning signs for years,'' Yvonne explained, ''A radar black-spot. So we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breech was six hundred foot above sea level. It was on the only way to reach it.''

''You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance?'' the Doctor noted, putting on his 3D specs, ''How much money have you got?''

''Enough,'' Yvonne smirked.

''Hang on,'' Alice began, looking out of the window, ''Is this Canary Wharf? It has to be!''

''Well, that is the public name for it,'' Yvonne said, ''But to those in the know, it's Torchwood.''

''So when the sphere came through the breach, it punctured a hole in the fabric of existence,'' the Doctor remarked, ''And rather than using your common sense, you pick at the wound, and start trying to make the hole even bigger.''

''It's a massive source of energy,'' Yvonne countered, ''If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes.'' She headed to the main area of the floor.

''Cancel it!'' the Doctor ordered.

''I don't think so,'' Yvonne scoffed.

''I order you to cancel it!''

''Oh, exactly as the legends would have it,'' Yvonne sneered, ''The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of Man.''

''Let me show you,'' the Doctor said, walking up to a glass partition, ''Sphere comes through,'' he pointed the sonic at the glass, making it crack, ''But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them along! But too many ghosts, and...'' the cracks continued to extend, and the Doctor tapped the glass very lightly, which was enough to cause it to shatter.

''Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful,'' Yvonne decided, turning to her staff, ''Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute.''

''Are you stupid?'' the Doctor asked.

''We have done this a thousand times,'' Yvonne argued.

''I think that's more than enough!''

''We are in control of the ghosts,'' Yvonne argued, ''The levers can open the breech, but equally they can CLOSE it.''

''You know what, forget it,'' the Doctor muttered, sitting on a chair.

''Sorry?!''

''You obviously aren't going to listen to what I have to say,'' the Doctor reasoned.

''What, is that it?'' Yvonne wondered.

''It is indeed,'' the Doctor replied.

''Ghost Shift in twenty seconds,'' one of the workers announced.

''Get on with it, then!'' the Doctor said.

''You can't stop us, Doctor,'' Yvonne warned.

''I agree,'' the Doctor said, turning to Jimmy and Alice, ''Come and watch, you two!''

''Ghost Shift in ten seconds,'' the worker announced, ''Nine... eight...''

Yvonne was starting to look uneasy.

''Seven... six... five... four... three... two...''

''Stop the shift,'' Yvonne ordered, ''I said stop.''

The worker did so, and the Doctor nodded curtly at her.

''I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible,'' Yvonne decided, ''But the program will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything.''

''Ah, knew you weren't as stupid as you looked,'' the Doctor said.

'' _A_ nd someone clear up this glass,'' Yvonne ordered, ''They did warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess.''

* * *

 **Aaand the plot thickens. How will the Doctor and Jimmy deal with what's really controlling the ghost shifts? How will Olivia react when she sees what's really inside the sphere? All will be revealed!**

 **LegoGuineaPig - Thanks for the review! It means a lot and I hope you're enjoying where the finale's going so far!**


	42. Army of Ghosts part 3

Olivia tailed the man through a corridor, coming up to a large door which needed an electronic pass to get through. Olivia wondered if the psychic paper could interface with it. She figured it was worth a try, and tapped the paper against the reader. The door slid open slowly.

Olivia smiled at the fact that it worked, before seeing an enormous, metal orb at the back of the room. Just looking at it made her uneasy.

''Can I help you?'' an Indian man asked her. He noticed how uneasy the sphere was making the girl, ''Try not to look. It does that to everyone. What do you want?''

''Erm, yeah,'' he began, ''Basically, I heard some people were mistakenly taken prisoner, so I'm just checking to make sure we've got the right guys, because personnel think there's been a mix-up.''

''Can I see your authorisation?'' the man asked.

''Yeah!'' Olivia said, handing him the paper confidently.

''That's lucky,'' the man remarked, ''You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training. This paper is blank. And you're a fake.'' He started speaking into the comms, ''Seal the room. Call security.'' All the doors closed. He turned to another man working behind him, ''Samuel? Can you check the door locks? She just walked right in.''

''Doing it now, sir,'' 'Samuel' said, turning around. Olivia's eyes widened. It was Jake from the other universe! How was he here? Jake motioned for her to keep quiet and not react to his appearance.

''Well. If you'd like to take a seat,'' the man said. Olivia nodded and did so, wondering what the hell was going on.

* * *

Yvonne sat at her desk with the Doctor, Jimmy and Alice on the other side, ''So these ghosts, whatever they are... did they build the sphere?''

''Most likely,'' the Doctor mused, ''Aimed at this dimension like a canonball.''

''Yvonne?'' Rajesh's voice called over the webcam, ''I think you should see this. We've got a visitor. We don't know who she is, but funnily enough, she arrived at the same time as the Doctor.''

Yvonne turned the laptop around, showing Olivia with Rajesh.

''She one of yours?'' Yvonne asked.

''Never seen her before in my life,'' the Doctor lied.

''Good! Then we can have her shot,'' Yvonne decided.

''Worth a try,'' he sighed, ''That's Olivia Alison.''

''Hi!'' Olivia waved on the screen. Jimmy nodded while Alice gave her a dirty look.

''Well, if that's Olivia Alison, who's SHE?'' Yvonne asked, pointing at Alice.

''I'm Alice,'' she introduced, ''Jimmy's _girlfriend_ ,'' she flashed a vicious grin at Olivia.

''Oh, you travel with his girlfriend?'' Yvonne wondered.

''Not by choice,'' the Doctor muttered irritably, ''And if Torchwood ever writes my history, I'd rather you omit _that_ detail.''

Suddenly, they heard the sound of the ghost shift systems starting up. ''Excuse me? Everyone?'' Yvonne called to the workers, who were busily typing away, ''I thought I said stop the ghost shift. Who started the program? But... I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that?!''

The levers were starting to rise by themselves. ''Step away from the monitors, everyone,'' Yvonne ordered, but the workers were not listening, ''Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing, RIGHT NOW,'' she ordered, ''Matt. Step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers!'' Two scientists ran up and tried to physically stop the levers from rising.

''What's SHE doing?'' the Doctor wondered, walking up to one of the workers, a young woman.

''Addy?'' Yvonne shouted, ''Step away from the desk.'' The Doctor snapped his fingers in front of Addy, but the woman didn't seem to notice, ''Listen to me. Step away from the desk.''

''She can't hear you,'' the Doctor realised, seeing what Addy and the others were doing, ''They're overriding the system. We're going into Ghost Shift.''

The Doctor, Yvonne, Jimmy and Alice stared anxiously at the white wall, which started to become brighter.

* * *

''Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled,'' Rajesh questioned over the comms, ''What's going on?'' There was no reply. Jake turned around suspiciously, ''Yvonne?'' Rajesh tried again.

Suddenly, there was loud crash from the back of the room. It was the sphere. Olivia, Jake and Rajesh hurried over to the orb, which was vibrating and producing loud banging noises.

''It can't be,'' Rajesh breathed, ''It's active!''

* * *

''It's the ear-piece controlling them,'' the Doctor realised, staring at the rapidly beeping earpieces the three workers were wearing, ''I've seen this before.''

''You don't mean...'' Jimmy began, thinking back to the last time he had encountered people controlled by earpieces. The Doctor nodded solemnly. Jimmy realised how dangerous the situation now was. He had to protect Alice... and Olivia.

The Doctor used the sonic on the earpieces, and the possessed workers screamed before dropping dead.

''What happened? What did you just do?'' Yvonne asked.

''You killed them!'' Alice screeched.

''They were dead already,'' the Doctor sneered, turning to the screen.

''But you killed them!'' Alice argued.

''What're those ear-pieces?'' Yvonne asked, ''But they're standard comms devices. How does it control them?''

''I don't have time to answer questions from stupid humans!'' the Doctor shouted at Yvonne and Alice, before going to one of the other dead worker's computers. Yvonne looked taken aback while Alice rolled her eyes, used to this by now. Nevertheless, Yvonne was still curious to find out what the earpieces were, and pulled one of Addy's earpieces out... along with a trail of brain tissue.

''Urgh!'' Yvonne exclaimed, ''Oh, God! It goes inside their brain!''

''I'm gonna be sick!'' Alice commented.

''What about the Ghost Shift?'' the Doctor asked.

''Ninety percent there,'' Yvonne said, ''It's still running. Can't you stop it?''

''They're still controlling it,'' the Doctor explained, ''They've hi-jacked the system.''

''Who's THEY?'' Yvonne wondered, though Jimmy knew exactly who it was.

''It might be a remote transmitter but it's gotta be close by,'' the Doctor said, pulling out the sonic and following the signal it was receiving, ''I can trace it.'' He headed off with Yvonne trailing after him. As they ran off, Jimmy saw Rajesh screaming on the webcam, but the sound had gone. He hurried over and brought the sound back up.

''Yvonne, for God's sake, the sphere is active!'' Rajesh shouted, ''The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field. It exists! The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine! We can't get out!''

Jimmy gasped. The Doctor had said whatever was inside the sphere was the most dangerous thing on Earth, and Jimmy was certain that it was one of the... _things_ that he knew were controlling the ghost shift. He shuddered at the thought of those things arriving onto his world. Jimmy hugged Alice and kissed her head.

''I promise I'll keep you safe,'' he said to the girl, looking into her eyes and seeing how frightened she was.

* * *

''This is why I'm here,'' Jake told Olivia as the sphere continued to crash and rattle, ''We took the fight to this world.''

''The fight against...'' Olivia supposed. Jake nodded. She knew what Jake had been fighting against, but the thought of _them_ here... she shuddered.

* * *

The Doctor marched down a corridor with Yvonne following, tracing the signal that the sonic was receiving.

''You men, with me!'' the Doctor ordered two passing troops. Yvonne gestured for them to do as he said.

* * *

As scientists and workers tried to force the leavers down, Jimmy and Alice watched as the white wall became brighter and brighter.

''What's down here?'' the Doctor questioned as they reached a curtained off area.

''I don't...'' Yvonne began, ''I dunno, I think it's building work. It's just renovations.''

''Go back,'' the Doctor ordered, ''It's not safe here.''

''Think again,'' Yvonne scoffed as they stepped forward. The Doctor stared at the sonic, which was still beeping, ''What is it? What's down here?''

''Ear-pieces, ear-pods, this world is colliding with another,'' the Doctor remarked, ''And I think I know which one.''

Suddenly, metal silhouettes appeared behind the plastic curtains.

''What are they?'' Yvonne wondered.

''They came through first,'' the Doctor stated grimly as the figures started cutting through the plastic, ''The advance guard.''

The figures stepped through and there was no doubt what they were.

''Cybermen.''

The soldiers fired at the Cybermen, but it had no effect at all. Yvonne and the Doctor tried to flee, but they were surrounded.

* * *

''We thought we stopped them,'' Jake explained to Olivia as the sphere kept crashing, ''But somehow they just vanished. They fled to this world. That's why I'm here.''

''There are Cybermen here?'' Olivia asked fearfully. The encounter she had with the Cybermen had been one of the most horrific adventures she'd had with the Doctor. Seeing a version of herself killed and seeing her father turned into a crazed cyborg... the thought of seeing the Cybermen again made Olivia sick to her stomach, ''What's inside that sphere?''

''Some kind of super Cyberman?'' Jake theorised. Olivia went pale.

* * *

Jimmy's fears were confirmed when Cybermen marched onto the floor. The Doctor and Yvonne were with them, and had their hands behind their heads in surrender.

''Get away from the machines,'' the Doctor urged, ''Do what they say, don't fight them!''

But it was too late. Laser guns emerged from the Cybermen's wrists, and the metal monsters killed the scientists trying to stop the levers.

''What are they?'' Alice cried, standing behind Jimmy.

A Cyberman with black handles stepped forward. It was clearly the leader, ''We are the Cybermen,'' it said to Alice, ''The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent.'' It pressed it's fist to it's chest and the lever started to rise.

''Online,'' the tannoy announced.

''Here come the ghosts,'' the Doctor murmured fearfully, and sure enough, ghosts started to step through the white wall in a linear formation. The Doctor realised this was happening all over the world.

* * *

''Can anyone hear me?'' Rajesh shouted over the comms, but nobody heard as the comms had gone down, ''Come on, I need help down here! I need...''

The sphere stopped vibrating. Rajesh joined Olivia and Jake. Jake threw off his lab coat and pulled off his now useless Torchwood earpiece.

''Here we go,'' Jake remarked. Rajesh put his glasses on and the three watched as smooth cracks appeared in the sphere, white light spilling out from them.

* * *

''But what do these things have to do with the ghosts?'' Alice asked as the ghosts poured out of the white wall.

''A footprint doesn't look like a boot,'' the Doctor answered.

''Achieving full transfer,'' the Cyber Leader said. Everyone watched as the ghosts started to take a more distinctive shape. A distinctive _Cyberman_ shape. The Doctor realised this was happening everywhere. The ghosts that were on the streets, that the humans had welcomed into their _homes_ thinking they were their deceased loved ones, were now about to transform into Cybermen and kill whoever stood in their way.

''They're Cybermen,'' the Doctor realised as the ghosts transformed completely into Cybermen, ''All of the ghosts are Cybermen. Millions of them. Right across the world.''

''They're invading the whole planet,'' Yvonne realised.

''It's not an invasion, it's too late for that,'' the Doctor dismissed, ''It's a victory.''

Jimmy stared at Yvonne's computer, which was beeping loudly. Olivia was down there with whatever Cyber-abomination was about to come out of the sphere, and all Jimmy could think about was getting her out of there.

''Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated,'' the computer announced. The Doctor stared at it in fear.

* * *

As the sphere continued to open, Jake sprung into action, ''Right, we're gonna deal with that thing the moment it comes out,'' he decided, running behind a counter and retrieving a large blaster gun, ''This should do the trick!''

''Samuel, what are you doing?!'' Rajesh protested.

Jake smirked, ''The name's Jake Simmonds, sir,'' he said, ''And I'm saving you.'' He cocked the gun and aimed it at the sphere, which continued parting.

* * *

The Doctor turned to the Cyber Leader, ''But it doesn't make sense. The Cybermen don't have the technology to build a Void Ship,'' he pointed out, ''That's WAY beyond you. How did you create that sphere?''

''The sphere is not ours,'' the Cyber Leader replied.

''I'm sorry?'' the Doctor questioned, shocked by that revelation.

''The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds,'' the Leader explained, ''We only followed. Its origin is unknown.''

''Then what's inside it...?'' the Doctor questioned.

''Liv's down there!'' Jimmy cried, not even realising he had let go of Alice's hand.

* * *

Olivia, Jake and Rajesh watched as the sphere opened and figures slowly started to emerge.

''But that's not...'' Jake began. These figures were clearly not Cybermen.

''Oh no,'' Olivia panicked as she saw what they were. The blonde was frozen in sheer horror, as out of the sphere...

...came four Daleks.

''Location: Earth,'' one of them shouted, ''Life forms detected. Exterminate!''

Jake pointed his gun at the obviously hostile creatures, while Olivia just stared at them, eyes wide open with dread.

''Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!''

* * *

 **I absolutely LOVE this episode. Everything after Mickey (or in this case, Jake) returned had me on the very edge of my seat when I first watched it, and it still holds up ten years ahead. And THAT cliffhanger... As an added note, what did you guys think of the twist of having Jake come into the main universe to deal with the Cybermen?**


	43. Doomsday part 1

The four Daleks charged at Olivia, Jake and Rajesh, chanting ''Exterminate!''. Olivia could think of only one thing to try to stop them killing them all immediately.

''Daleks!'' she called, ''You're the Daleks, am I right?'' she asked. The creatures stopped in their tracks and stared at her in shock. ''21st Century human who knows about the Daleks, and the Time War. You need me alive. And my friends.''

''Yeah,'' Jake lied, his blaster gun still trained on the creatures, ''Daleks!''

''And me,'' Rajesh played along.

The black Dalek commander studied Olivia for a moment, then turned to Jake and Rajesh, and then back to Olivia, ''You will be necessary,'' it decided, before turning to one of the three standard Daleks behind it, ''Report: what is the status of the Genesis Ark?''

''Status: hibernation,'' the Dalek replied in a high pitched voice.

''Commence awakening,'' the black Dalek ordered, ''The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else.'' The four turned to the strange, Dalek shaped device behind them and placed their sucker arms against slots.

''What the hell are these things?'' Jake whispered to Olivia once the Daleks were ignoring them.

''The worst things in the world,'' she answered fearfully. Olivia shook her head. Just a few minutes previous, she had been horrified at the thought of the Cybermen coming back and had been begging it to not be true. The universe had answered her prayers by sending them something that was on another level of horrific.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Doctor, Jimmy and Alice were captured by the Cybermen.

''These metal things are gonna kill us!'' Alice sobbed into Jimmy's chest, ''I'm so scared, Jimmy!''

''I know,'' he soothed, ''But I brought you here, and I promise I'll get you out safe, Al!'' He looked into her puffy, red eyes. Her face was so tear streaked that her glasses had slid to the edge of her nose. Jimmy tugged them off and gently wiped the tears off Alice's face. He then softly placed her glasses back over her eyes. Alice sniffled and gave Jimmy a grateful smile. Although his priority was keeping Alice safe, Jimmy kept thinking about Olivia. She was trapped down there with whatever had emerged from the sphere, and Jimmy hoped to whatever deity was listening that it hadn't disposed of her already.

The Cyber Leader marched up to Yvonne, ''You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender,'' it rasped.

''Oh, do some research,'' Yvonne scoffed, ''We haven't got a central world authority.''

''You have now,'' it said as the Doctor observed it through his 3D glasses, ''I will speak on all global wavelengths. This broadcast is for human kind. Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet, but you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us.''

The Doctor, Jimmy, Alice and Yvonne watched through the window as humans fled the Cybermen in the streets. The army soon arrived to fight against them, but although they managed to take down a few, the metal men blasted their way through all opposition. London was in flames.

''I ordered surrender,'' the Cyber Leader intoned.

''You fool,'' the Doctor snarled, ''You think that if you take over people's homes, and march through the streets killing people, they won't attempt to resist? They aren't your Cyber drones just doing as they're told!''

* * *

''Which of you is least important?'' the black Dalek questioned, gliding towards the three humans.

''What do you mean?'' Olivia asked.

''Which of you is least important?''

''That's not how we work here,'' Olivia argued.

''Designate the least important!'' the Dalek bellowed.

''This is my responsibility,'' Rajesh decided, stepping forward to address the creatures. ''I er, I represent the Torchwood Institute,'' he introduced, ''Anything you need, you come through me. Leave these two alone.''

''You will kneel,'' the black Dalek ordered.

''What for?''

''Kneel!''

Rajesh did so, kneeling in front of the black Dalek.

''The Daleks need information about current Earth history,'' the black Dalek announced.

''Yeah, well, I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise Homeland security...'' Rajesh began.

''Speech is not necessary,'' the black Dalek interrupted, ''We will extract brainwaves.'' It and two of the standard Daleks rolled towards him, their sucker arms enveloping his head.

''Don't!'' Rajesh begged, ''I... I'll tell you everything you need. No. No!'' He screamed as his skull was crushed completely. Jake tried to stop them harming his colleague and friend, but Olivia stopped him, knowing how futile it was to attempt to fight the Daleks.

* * *

All the Cybermen on the top floor suddenly turned to face their leader.

''Scans detect unknown technology active within sphere chamber,'' the Leader declared, ''Cybermen will investigate. Units 10 65 and 10 66 will investigate sphere chamber.''

Two Cybermen that had been shoving around members of staff marched up. ''We obey,'' they said, marching off.

* * *

The Daleks released Rajesh's corpse, his skull being completely crushed.

''His mind spoke of a second species invading Earth infected by the superstition of ghosts,'' the black Dalek said.

''You didn't have to kill him,'' Olivia muttered.

''Neither did we need him alive,'' one of the standard Daleks sneered at her.

''Dalek Thay,'' the black Dalek said, turning to the Dalek that had spoken, ''Investigate outside.''

''I obey,'' the sneering Dalek said, moving out of the room.

'Thay?' Olivia thought to herself. Since when did Daleks have names?

* * *

''Units open visual link,'' the Cyber Leader ordered. A second later, Yvonne's computer displayed footage of the two Cybermen's vision, ''Visual contact established.''

* * *

''Establish visual contact,'' the black Dalek ordered, ''Lower communications barrier.'' A projection appeared on the wall, displaying what Dalek 'Thay' was seeing. Olivia and Jake saw two Cybermen come into the Dalek's view.

* * *

The Doctor went deathly pale as the two Cybermen came face to face with a Dalek. Jimmy gasped quietly. Olivia had been in the sphere chamber with a Dalek! He realised how likely it was that the girl was dead.

''Identify yourselves,'' the Dalek ordered.

''You will identify first,'' one of the Cybermen demanded.

''State your identity. ''

''You will identify first.''

''Identify!'' the Dalek bellowed in frustration.

* * *

Jake couldn't help but laugh at the bizarre proceedings that were taking place between two mechanical creatures.

* * *

''Illogical, you will modify,'' the Cyberman ordered.

''Daleks do not take orders,'' the Dalek said.

''You have identified as Daleks.''

''Outline resembles the INFERIOR species known as 'Cybermen','' another Dalek voice shouted over the screen.

''There's more than one,'' Jimmy breathed.

''What are Daleks?'' Alice asked Jimmy nervously. Jimmy didn't answer. Alice was already terrified of the Cybermen, and Jimmy didn't want to tell her that the... _thing_ on the screen was the living embodiment of evil, a creature so powerful it could conquer the entire planet by itself. He didn't want to make his girlfriend any more frightened than she already was.

''Phone,'' the Doctor whispered to Jimmy, who pulled out his phone and handed it to the Doctor. The Time Lord placed a call to Olivia, who answered quickly, but did not speak. ''Olivia's alive,'' he confirmed to Jimmy, who breathed a sigh of relief.

''We must protect the Genesis Ark,'' yet another Dalek voice screeched. How many were there?

''What's a Genesis Ark?'' the Doctor wondered, putting on his 3D glasses and staring at the screen.

''Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant,'' the Cyberman remarked.

''Daleks have no concept of elegance,'' the Dalek dismissed.

''This is obvious,'' the Cyberman agreed, ''But consider, our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks. Together, we could upgrade the Universe.''

''You propose an alliance?'' the Dalek wondered.

''This is correct.''

''Request denied,'' the Dalek decided.

''Hostile elements will be deleted,'' the Cyberman declared, and the two pointed their guns at the Dalek. They fired, but their laser beams had no effect at all.

''Exterminate!'' the Dalek called, firing at both Cybermen and killing them instantly.

''Open visual link,'' the Cyber Leader said, bringing up direct footage from the sphere chamber, showing a black Dalek commander, ''Daleks, be warned: you have declared war upon the Cybermen,'' the Cyber Leader announced.

''This is not war,'' the black Dalek jeered, ''This is pest control.''

''We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?''

''Four.''

''You would destroy the Cybermen with FOUR Daleks?!'' the Cyber Leader scoffed.

''We would destroy the Cybermen with ONE Dalek,'' the black Dalek sneered, ''You are superior in only one respect.''

''What is that?'' the Cyber Leader asked just as the Doctor leaned forward behind him.

''You are better at dying,'' the black Dalek sneered, ''Raise communications barrier!''

The screen went blank and the Doctor ended the call to Olivia.

* * *

''Wait!'' the high pitched Dalek ordered as the screen went blank, ''Rewind image by nine rels,'' bringing up the moment the Doctor leaned in, ''Identify grid seven gamma frame.'' The screen zoomed in on the Doctor, ''This male registers as enemy.''

''The female's heartbeat has increased,'' the black Dalek rounded on Olivia, ''Identify him!''

''Do you really wanna know who that is?'' the blonde teased, ''That man is the Doctor.'' The three Daleks scaled back in fear. ''Now you're in trouble,'' Olivia said with a smirk.

* * *

''Quarantine the Sphere Chamber,'' the Cyber Leader ordered, ''Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel.'' The Cybermen began to drag Alice and Yvonne away, along with the rest of the staff.

''No, you can't do this!'' Yvonne protested, ''We surrendered! We surrendered!''

''Get off me!'' Alice screamed, ''Leave me alone!''

They started to grab Jimmy and the Doctor too, but the Cyber Leader stepped forward, ''Keep these two,'' it ordered, and the Cybermen released them, ''Their increased adrenaline suggests they have vital Dalek information.' '

''JIMMY, PLEASE HELP ME!'' Alice screamed as she was dragged away, ''YOU PROMISED TO PROTECT ME! YOU CAN'T LET THEM TAKE ME AWAY!''

''I am gonna get you out of here, I promise!'' Jimmy shouted at Alice before her, Yvonne and the rest of the staff were dragged out of sight. Jimmy ran his hands through his hair furiously. This situation could not get any worse. Olivia was trapped by the Daleks and now Alice was trapped by the Cybermen! ''Fuck!'' Jimmy shouted out loud.

* * *

Dalek 'Thay' returned to the sphere chamber, ''Cyber threat irrelevant,'' it evaluated, ''Concentrate on the Genesis Ark.''

The four Daleks began to circle the strange device and placed their sucker arms on the slots.

''Why are we being kept alive?'' Jake wondered.

Olivia considered for a moment, ''I think I know...'' she murmured.

''What is it?'' Jake asked.

* * *

The Doctor and Jimmy sat in the main office, staring at the ground in frustration.

''You are proof,'' the Cyber Leader remarked as it marched up to them.

''Of what?'' the Doctor spat venomously.

''That emotions destroy you.''

''Perhaps we are,'' the Doctor began, before hearing the distinct sound of teleport systems, ''Although I'm a big fan of hope, and here it comes.''

He watched as several masked, black-clad troops teleported into the main room, all carrying large blaster guns. Their commander barked out an order and they opened fire on the Cybermen in the room, destroying them immediately. The Cyber Leader stormed over to confront them, but the commander whirled around and fired his own gun, blowing the Leader apart.

The Doctor and Jimmy regarded the intruders warily, unsure whether they were yet another group of hostiles intent on causing trouble.

''Doctor! Jimmy!'' the commander called, ''Good to see you both.''

His voice was familiar.

It was _Jimmy's_ voice.

The commander removed his mask to reveal himself as identical to Jimmy.

''Jamie?'' the Doctor questioned.

''In the flesh,'' Jamie confirmed with a smirk, ''If the Cybermen can come through, we can as well.'' He turned to his troops, ''Defend this room. Chrissie, they're gonna try and create a new Cyber Leader. I need you to monitor communications. MOVE!'' The troops did as they were told, the Doctor observing them all using his 3D glasses.

''How can you teleport from one world to another?'' the Doctor asked Jamie.

''With these,'' Jamie said, taking out two large, yellow buttons on chains, throwing one to the Doctor and the other to Jimmy.

''How did you get this technology?'' the Doctor questioned.

''We've got our own version of Torchwood,'' Jamie muttered contemptuously, ''They developed it. Do you wanna come and see?''

''NO!'' the Doctor called, but Jamie had already activated the dimension jump, taking them to the exact same spot in the other universe. The top floor looked different, but it was much darker and there were wires lying around. This place had clearly been abandoned for a while.

''We found out what Torchwood were doing,'' Jamie explained, ''The People's Republic are in charge now.''

''We need to get to back, right now!'' the Doctor urged.

''Liv and Alice are in danger!'' Jimmy agreed.

''That'd be Miss Olivia Alison,'' a cold female voice remarked. Molly Alison, or at least this universe's version of her, stepped into the room, followed by two masked troops. She was wearing a similar military uniform, ''My daughter.''

''We don't have time for this,'' the Doctor argued, ''We must get back!''

''We're in charge here,'' Molly warned dangerously, ''And you're not going anywhere.''

* * *

''I could transport out,'' Jake remarked, ''But it only carries one and I can't just leave you here.''

''Thanks,'' Olivia said, ''That means a lot.''

''But why are they keeping me alive?'' Jake wondered.

''Insurance,'' Olivia theorised. Jake gave her a confused look, so she elaborated, ''The first time I met one of these things, it was weak. Almost dead. But I touched it and it healed.'' She recalled that day, her mind trailing to the fact that it was then that she had realised how she felt about Jimmy. ''The Doctor said that when you travel in time, you soak up this... background radiation. It's harmless, but the Daleks evolved so they could use it as a power supply. That's how that Dalek healed, and maybe that's what they need for this Ark thing.''

''Insurance?'' Jake repeated, still confused as to what she meant by that.

''I've travelled in time,'' Olivia explained, ''I've got background radiation. They need me to touch the Ark, but they know I won't do it if they kill you.''

''But if you refuse, they'll kill you,'' Jake pointed out.

''Exactly! Then who's going to open it?''

''Why would they build something they can't open themselves?'' Jake wondered.

''The technology is stolen,'' the black Dalek interrupted loudly, ''The Ark is not of Dalek design.''

''Who built it?'' Olivia asked.

''The Time Lords,'' it answered, making Olivia gasp, ''This is all that survives of their Home World.''

''What's inside?''

''The future!''

* * *

 **Oooh, will Alice be upgraded? Is JImmy having second thoughts about his relationship?**


	44. Doomsday part 2

The Doctor pressed his face against the white wall of the parallel Torchwood, trying to feel a connection to the main universe.

''You told us there'd be more Cybermen,'' Molly recalled, ''So we sealed them up. Locked them inside the factories.''

''But people thought the Cybermen were still human,'' Jamie muttered, ''Thought we should try and help them. There was this big political debate.''

''But the Cybermen made plans,'' Molly continued, ''They infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world, and then vanished.''

''How long ago was this?'' Jimmy wondered.

''Three years ago,'' Molly answered.

''It's taken them three years to cross the void, but we can pop to and fro in a second,'' the Doctor mused, ''Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once,'' something occurred to him, ''And where's Jake?'' he asked Jamie.

''I sent him ahead,'' Molly answered first, ''As soon as the Cybermen disappeared, we sent him there to gather intelligence.'' She lead him to the window, showing a peaceful city with Zeppelins above, ''Look at it. A peaceful, new world, with not a Cyberman in sight. They call it the 'Golden Age'.''

''Who's the President now?''

''Harriet Jones.'' The Doctor paused. He still regretted what he had done to Harriet, even though there wasn't another option. ''But something's going on, Doctor,'' Molly continued, ''Temperatures are rising rapidly. The ice caps are melting. There's predictions of floods, adverse weather, everything.''

''It's the breach,'' the Doctor spat, ''That's why travel between universes isn't possible. Because it leads to this. This whole weather situation is a side effect of the Daleks breaking down the walls with the sphere.''

''Daleks?'' Molly repeated.

''The Cybermen travelling across made it worse,'' the Doctor continued, ''And then you lot with those teleport discs. Every time you jump between universes, you make another puncture in reality. Keep this up, and both worlds will fall into the Void.''

''Can't you seal the breach?'' Molly asked.

''Leaving the Cybermen and Daleks on my world,'' the Doctor retorted.

''Not my problem,'' Molly spat.

''Your daughter's alive on that world,'' the Doctor pointed out.

''My daughter died,'' Molly rasped dangerously.

''Maybe you can prevent her dying again,'' the Doctor sneered callously. Jimmy shook his head at this, which was a new low in terms of the Doctor's rude remarks. Granted, Molly had just said she didn't care if the Daleks and Cybermen ravaged their world so long as hers was safe, but it was still a cruel thing to say. ''Come with us and help us save her. We can stop the Cybermen and the Daleks and close the breach. Put an end to all this madness. But we need all the help we can get.''

''Fine,'' Molly sighed, though she looked like she wanted to punch the Doctor across the face.

The Doctor nodded, ''Let's go!'' The group jumped back to the main universe.

''I need to make a call,'' Jimmy said, pulling his phone and calling Alice.

''You two, guard the door!'' Jamie ordered two of his troops.

Alice answered the phone, but all Jimmy could hear was unintelligible, panicked sobs. ''Al, you're alive!'' he cheered, but the girl continued to cry and panic, ''Calm down!'' Jimmy ordered.

''They tried to upgrade me, but something happened and I ran away,'' Alice explained.

''Where are you?'' he asked

''Some staircase,'' Alice replied.

''Anything to mark it?''

''It says 'N3'...''

''N3, thanks,'' Jimmy said, ''Keep moving, and for God's sake, keep your voice down!''

''Don't leave me, Jimmy!''

''I'm sorry, I have to,'' Jimmy responded, hanging up. He considered his priorities. Alice had managed to escape the Cybermen. She was intelligent and could evade them for the time being. Olivia, on the other hand, was trapped in that room with the Daleks, and they could kill her any time they wanted.

''Jamie,'' the Doctor called, taking the blaster gun out of Jamie's hands, ''If I can open up the bonding chamber on this thing, it could work on polycarbide.''

''Poly-what?''

''The skin of a Dalek,'' the Doctor explained. Neither Molly nor Jamie had any clue what these 'Daleks' were. The Doctor got to work modifying the gun.

* * *

Once he had finished, the Doctor walked up to a few Cybermen.

''Do you surrender?'' one asked, pointing it's gun at him.

''I surrender,'' the Doctor answered, ''Unto you... a very good idea.''

* * *

''Final stage of awakening,'' the high pitched Dalek announced, and the four Daleks moved back from the Ark.

''Your handprint will open the Ark,'' the black Dalek said to Olivia.

''I'm not doing it,'' she declared.

''Obey or the male will die.''

Olivia sighed and stepped towards the arc. ''I can't let them kill you,'' she said to Jake, who tried to stop her.

''Place your hand upon the casket,'' the black Dalek insisted.

Olivia knew how Daleks worked. She knew that if the activated the Ark, the Daleks would kill her and Jake once they were no longer of use. She decided to have some fun with the Daleks, both to annoy them and to play for more time.

''Did you ever find out how the Time War ended?'' she asked casually, ''What happened to all your Dalek mates?''

''Place your hand...''

''What happened to the Emperor?''

''The Emperor survived?'' the black Dalek asked in shock.

''For a while,'' she giggled, ''Then me and my friend took the Time Vortex and killed the bastard. You're messing with the girl who brought down your Emperor.'' She laughed in the Dalek's face.

The black Dalek's casing began to literally shake with rage, ''You will be EXTERMINATED!'' it roared.

''Oh no, you don't,'' the Doctor's voice called from the door. Olivia turned to see the Doctor and Jimmy entering the room, the Doctor wearing his 3D glasses.

''Alert, alert!'' the black Dalek panicked, ''You are the Doctor.''

''Sensors report he is unarmed,'' the high pitched Dalek reported.

''Don't place any bets on that,'' the Doctor warned.

''You are powerless,'' the black Dalek mocked.

''We'll see about that,'' the Doctor muttered, before turning to Olivia, ''You OK?'' he asked the girl, who nodded. He turned to Jake, ''Pleasure to see you again.'' Jake raised an eyebrow, completely unsure if the Doctor was being sarcastic. Jimmy gave Jake a fist bump and hugged Olivia.

''Social interaction will cease!'' the high pitched Dalek ordered. The Doctor responded by making a particularly rude hand gesture at this Dalek, which made Jimmy, Olivia and Jake laugh.

''How did you survive the Time War?'' the black Dalek questioned.

''By fighting,'' the Doctor snarled, ''On the front line. I was there at the fall of Arcadia. But you weren't. You fled like the cowards you are.''

''We had to survive,'' the black Dalek argued.

''The last four Daleks in existence,'' the Doctor remarked, ''Let's see if we can't do something about that...''

''Doctor, they've got names...'' Olivia remarked, ''Or at least one of them does.''

''I am Dalek Thay,'' Dalek Thay introduced.

''Dalek Sec,'' the black Dalek introduced.

''Dalek Jast,'' the high pitched Dalek screeched.

''Dalek Caan,'' a deep-voiced Dalek rasped. Olivia glanced at this one. The others had been speaking since they arrived. Sec, the black commander, had been giving orders, Jast, the high pitched one, had been making various status reports, and Thay had sneered at her when the Daleks killed Rajesh. But this one? It hadn't spoken at all until then. Something about this particular Dalek made Olivia's blood run cold.

''No way!'' the Doctor remarked, sounding terrified and excited at the same time, ''I'm dealing with the Cult of Skaro! I thought you lot were just a legend!''

''Who are they?'' Olivia wondered.

''A secret order,'' the Doctor explained, strolling around the Daleks, ''Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names.'' He stared menacingly into Dalek Jast's eyestalk. ''All to find new ways of killing.''

''But what about this Genesis Ark thing?'' Olivia questioned, ''They said it was Time Lord.''

''I don't know,'' the Doctor admitted, eyeing the Ark, ''Never seen it before.''

''But it's Time Lord,'' Jimmy pointed out.

''Both sides had secrets,'' the Doctor stated, turning to Dalek Sec, ''What is it? What have you done?''

''Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy,'' Sec crowed.

''What's that meant to mean?'' the Doctor snapped, ''We don't have time for riddles. Tell us what it is!''

''They say it needs a touch from a time traveller,'' Olivia said.

A nasty grin appeared across the Doctor's face, ''Touch,'' he mocked, turning to the humans, ''Imagine being a Dalek. Imagine never touching anything. Never feeling that sensation. Never seeing anything except through a screen, never hearing anything except through your audio units. An entire life spent secluded and cut off from the rest of existence. That's what it means to be a Dalek. That's what it means to be _the supreme being._ ''

''The Doctor will open the Ark!'' Sec shouted, tired of the Doctor's ranting.

''The Doctor will not,'' the Doctor spat.

''You have no way of resisting,'' Sec pointed out.

''I've got this,'' the Doctor reasoned, taking out the sonic screwdriver.

''A sonic probe?'' Sec scoffed.

''I believe the proper term is 'screwdriver'.''

''It is harmless,'' Sec jeered.

''You know, for the supposed most advanced war machines in universe, you really are fools,'' the Doctor taunted, ''You don't seem to realise that with the right practitioner, anything, no matter how seemingly harmless, can be utilised as a weapon.'' He pointed the sonic into the air, ''Like this.''

He activated the sonic, causing the sealed doors at the back of the room to explode inwards, letting Jamie, his troops, and several Cybermen in. The Cybermen were carrying blaster guns while Jamie fired a machine gun.

''Delete!'' a Cyberman shouted, ''Delete! Delete! Delete!'' It fired the blaster at Dalek Thay.

''Alert!'' Thay panicked, ''Casing impact, casing impact!''

The Doctor, Jimmy, Olivia and Jake threw themselves to the ground to avoid the bullets and blasts.

''Get out!'' the Doctor called to his friends. Olivia tried but stumbled to the ground again.

''Fire power insufficient!'' Dalek Sec called as the Cybermen started to overcome the Daleks, ''Fire power insufficient!''

Olivia found herself helped up by... her mother! Molly had no time to explain, and the two hurried off towards the door. Jimmy scrambled for one of the blaster guns, which had been dropped, picking it up and cocking it.

''Daleks will be deleted,'' a Cyberman called, ''Delete! Delete!''

The Doctor and Jake met up with Molly and Olivia at the door. ''Jimmy, hurry up!'' Olivia shouted at Jimmy.

''Adapt to weaponry!'' Dalek Thay called.

''Fire power restored!'' Dalek Sec cheered, blasting down a Cyberman. Jamie and his troops managed to make it to the door, but Jimmy was knocked down by a Cyberman. Instinctively, he stuck his hand out to break his fall, not realising that he was leaning against... the Genesis Ark. Jimmy felt a burning sensation in his hand and yanked it away, but it was too late. He bolted out of the room to join the others.

Once Jimmy was out, the Doctor sealed the Cybermen and Daleks inside. ''Jamie, Jake, protect the stairwell,'' he ordered the two, who headed in a different direction, ''The rest of you, come on!''

* * *

''I didn't mean to touch that thing,'' Jimmy assured the Doctor, before transferring the blaster gun to his other hand as his good hand was still burning.

The Doctor ignored him. He had no idea what was inside the Ark, but the fact that the Daleks were using it meant that it was very dangerous.

As they ran, Olivia tripped and stumbled, but Jimmy quickly swooped down and caught the girl before she hit the ground. He lifted her back up and looked into her eyes, before kissing her passionately. Olivia pulled away, before looking at Jimmy and seeing how passionate he looked. She slowly moved back in and kissed him on the lips.

''I thought I'd lost you when the sphere opened,'' Jimmy said, ''I'm not gonna lose you again.''

''But... what about Alice?'' Olivia asked.

''I do love Alice,'' Jimmy admitted, ''But she's not _you_ , Liv! I've loved you for years. You're who I always wanted to be with. When this is all over, I'm gonna break it off with her. That is if you want to...''

''Oh, stop talking,'' Olivia said, pulling him into another kiss. Jimmy pulled away after a moment and reached into his pocket, pulling out Olivia's necklace and gently placing it back onto her neck. Olivia smiled and was about to kiss him again, only to notice the Doctor glaring at them.

''Finished?'' the Time Lord asked.

''Not even started,'' Jimmy joked.

''There's a time and a place,'' the Doctor lectured, ''And this isn't it, now come on.'' He started running again and the others followed.

''By the way, Liv,'' Jimmy said as they sprinted along hand in hand, ''Keep that lab coat.''

Olivia realised she was still wearing the lab coat she had stolen from Torchwood, ''Why?'' she asked.

''Might come in useful sometime.''

Olivia went bright red as she realised what he meant. Shed shook her hea and continued on. A much more petty part of her couldn't wait until this was over so that she could rub it in Alice's face. Just earlier, Alice had taunted Olivia about how she was always second best, yet here was Jimmy saying that the only reason he didn't return Alice's feelings was that Alice wasn't _her._ She had no doubt Jimmy would try to make the breakup as painless as possible, but Olivia intended to make Alice suffer. She could just picture Alice's smug face turning pale before running off to sob into Daddy's chest.

* * *

Finally, the Doctor led them to the doors to the main room at Torchwood and burst in. What they saw could only be described as carnage. An intense battle was taking place between the Cybermen and Daleks. Blasts zoomed past from all directions and roars of ''Exterminate!'' and ''Delete!'' filled the room. Torchwood soldiers and Jamie's troops were firing at both sides, but this only served to make the situation worse.

The Doctor waited for the right moment before diving into the fray. Jimmy, Olivia and Molly watched anxiously as blasts zoomed above the Doctor. He picked up the two Magna-Clamps that Yvonne had showed him earlier and used them to deflect the blasts. After a moment, the Doctor headed back towards the door, tripping over a dead Cyberman. He got back to his feet and hurried out, Olivia closing the doors. The Doctor peered back inside, now wearing his 3D specs, and watched as the Daleks finally managed to get themselves and the Genesis Ark to the centre of the room.

''Override roof mechanism,'' Sec called, and the roof slowly opened up, ''El-ev-ate.'' Dalek Sec and the Genesis Ark began to rise into the air.

''Why do they need to get outside?'' Olivia wondered.

''Time Lord science... WHAT Time Lord science?'' the Doctor questioned, ripping off the 3D glasses, ''What is it?'' He lead the others back into the corridor, ''We've gotta see what it's doing, we've gotta go back up!'' he decided, ''Come on! All of you! Top floor!''

''But it'll take us ages to get up there!'' Jimmy protested.

''We could always take the lift...'' a voice said. The group turned to see Jamie and Jake popping their heads out of the lift. The Doctor nodded and the group hurried inside. Jimmy held Olivia close to him as the lift headed towards the top floor. Finally, they arrived, and everyone sprinted to the window, where they could see Dalek Sec and the Genesis Ark, which was open. They watched as a Dalek flew out. And another. Another two. Another five. Another ten. Another fifty. Another _thousand..._

''Time Lord science...'' the Doctor surmised, ''It's bigger on the inside.''

''The Time Lords put those Daleks in there?'' Jimmy asked.

''It's a prison ship,'' the Doctor said.

''How many Daleks?'' Olivia asked.

''Millions,'' the Doctor answered as a vast swarm of Daleks covered the skies. To make matters worse, another large group of Cybermen marched into view, stopping when they reached the bottom of the tower. They pointed their weapons at the Daleks and fired.

''Exterminate all life forms below,'' Dalek Sec bellowed, ''Exterminate.'' The Daleks began firing downwards at both humans and Cybermen. The alien war was causing mass panic, as people rushed to get away from the Daleks and Cybermen. The Doctor and his friends watched as the two races began to fight to the death, with humans about to be massacred in the crossfire...

* * *

 **After two ''seasons'' Jimmy and Olivia finally declare their feelings for each other! I loved doing this chapter. The question is, will they survive this day? And if they do, how will Alice react?**

 **As an added note, I hope you all liked Olivia's reaction to Dalek Caan. When I was rewatching the episode I realised that each member of the Cult has a distinctive voice. Sec, Thay and Jast speak constantly, but Caan remains silent. RTD being the genius that he is, I can't help but wonder if this was deliberate. And the Doctor giving the Dalek the finger... I always thought that's the kind of thing this Doctor would do when confronted with his greatest enemies.**

 **Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review and say what you think!**


	45. Doomsday part 3

Molly watched the Daleks and Cybermen battling, and turned away from the windows, ''I'm sorry, but that's it for your world,'' she said, ''There isn't anything we can do. We're going home.'' She turned to Olivia, ''You're coming with us.''

''What?'' Olivia wondered, ''But I have my own family here!''

''Look out the window!'' Molly countered, ''Try and escape this building, you'll walk right into the war. There's no way out. And for all we know, they might not even be alive!''

Olivia gasped, ''You don't know that!'' she argued.

''We have to leave now!'' Molly insisted, throwing a transport disc to Olivia, ''Doctor, can you close the breach?''

The Doctor turned around with his 3D glasses on, ''I can indeed,'' he replied with a smirk, before walking over to the computers, ''I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood! Slam it down and close off both universes.''

''And then what?'' Jimmy asked, ''We've still got Daleks and Cybermen to deal with!''

''All in good time,'' the Doctor said, ''I'm surprised none of you has asked me about these glasses.''

''What's with the glasses?'' Olivia asked.

''We have two separate universes,'' the Doctor explained, ''And in between them we have the Void. The Daleks were hidden there, and the Cybermen travelled through. And that's how you lot get here with those travel discs. Through the Void.''

He took off the glasses and handed them to Olivia, who put them on and saw that the Doctor was coated in some strange radiation.

''I've been through the Void, do you see?'' the Doctor asked.

''What is it?'' she asked, handing the glasses to Jimmy so he could see.

''Void material,'' the Doctor answered.

''Like background radiation!'' Olivia surmised.

The Doctor nodded, ''Look at the others.''

Jimmy turned to see that everyone was coated in the Void radiation.

''Everyone here has been through the Void,'' the Doctor explained, ''And when you go through, you pick up Void radiation. And that means the Daleks and Cybermen have picked it up too. In theory, we could reverse the system and pull the Void radiation back in, along with anything that's covered in it.''

''Hang on, what's the Void?'' Jamie questioned.

''The dead space,'' the Doctor said, ''Some people call it 'Hell'.''

''So we're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to hell,'' Jamie smirked.

Jimmy looked around with the glasses, ''But we've all picked it up too,'' he pointed out, ''What's to stop us getting pulled in?''

''You lot are going,'' the Doctor decided, ''I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side.''

''I'm sorry?'' Jimmy said, ''You can't send us to another world! We've got families here!''

''There isn't another way,'' the Doctor countered, ''You stay here, you get pulled in!''

''But we can't just leave!'' Olivia argued.

''What about you?'' Jimmy asked the Doctor.

''He'll get pulled in,'' Jamie pointed out.

''That's why... I got these,'' the Doctor said, holding up the Magna-Clamps, ''I'll just have to hold on tight and hope for the best.''

''Doctor, you can't just send us away!'' Jimmy protested.

''Don't argue with me!'' the Doctor shouted, ''If you can think of a better plan, I'd love to hear it. Until then, this is what we're doing. No arguments.'' He turned away to the computers.

''You can't do this!'' Olivia exclaimed, but then the building shook violently.

''There isn't time to argue,'' Molly said, ''We're going, now!''

''I am not going with you!'' Olivia argued.

''Yes you are!'' Molly shouted, ''Stay here, and you die! I'm not losing my daughter again! You are coming with us!''

''She's right,'' the Doctor agreed, not even looking up from the computer.

''What about our families? Our friends?'' Jimmy argued.

''There isn't another way!'' the Doctor insisted.

''Doctor,'' Olivia began, ''I've had more fun with you than I had in my entire life before. I've loved every minute of it.''

''Me too,'' Jimmy agreed, ''Is that worth nothing to you. As long as you're 'doing what needs to be done' nothing else matters? You can't just send us away. You changed our lives, Doc. In more ways than one...'' Olivia hugged him.

The Doctor nodded at Molly, who activated the transport discs, sending everyone to the other universe.

''Oh my God!'' Olivia exclaimed.

''Oh no, you don't!'' Jimmy shouted, and the two activated their discs, returning to the main universe.

The Doctor looked up in anger, ''What do you think you're doing?'' he asked.

''We're not going to another world,'' Jimmy insisted, ''You can't force us!''

''Don't you understand?'' the Doctor raged, ''I'm sending you there because you have very little chance of surviving here. I don't like it, but there isn't anything we can do!''

''Our choice,'' Olivia said, ''So what can we do to help?''

The Doctor sighed and turned away. For the first time since his regeneration, Jimmy and Olivia felt they understood him. He wasn't a horrible man trying to control their lives. He was simply a normal man faced with horrible decisions.

''Those co-ordinates over there, set them all at six,'' the Doctor ordered at last, ''Get on with it.''

* * *

''We've got Cybermen on the way up,'' Jimmy said as he worked at the computer.

''How many floors down?'' the Doctor asked as he went to ran to look.

''Just one.''

The camera showed a small group of Cybermen climbing the stairs.

''We will retreat through the breach,'' the new Cyber Leader decided, ''Regain the Home World.''

Suddenly, another Cybermen appeared in front of them, carrying a blaster gun, ''You will not pass,'' it said in a bizarrely female voice.

''What is the meaning of this?'' the Cyber Leader questioned.

''You will NOT pass,'' the female Cyberman repeated, firing it's weapon and destroying the Cybermen, ''I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country.''

The Doctor smirked as he watched the proceedings on the screen.

''Levers operational,'' the tannoy annouced.

''Oh my God, he's smiling. That's creepy!'' Jimmy remarked to Olivia. The Doctor shook his head, picking up a Magna-Clamp and handing it to Jimmy.

''Attach it to the wall,'' he ordered, doing the same with his own clamp, ''Press the red button.''

Jimmy attached the clamp to the wall and pressed the button.

''When it starts, just hold on tight,'' the Doctor instructed, ''Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void Stuff. Are you ready?''

Jimmy looked at a group of Daleks headed right towards them and nodded, ''Yeah.''

''Let's do it!'' the Doctor shouted, and he pushed his lever up while Jimmy and Olivia did the same with theirs.

''Online,'' the tannoy announced. The Doctor jumped to his clamp while Jimmy and Olivia jumped to theirs. The white wall grew brighter, and the Daleks headed towards them suddenly were suddenly sucked forwards, crashing through the window and going through the white wall.

''The breach is open!'' the Doctor announced as the three started to feel the Void pulling at them, ''Into the Void!''

Soon after, thousands of Daleks and Cybermen were hurled into the Void. All powerless, all screaming. Jimmy and Olivia looked at each other with triumphant smirks on their faces.

Suddenly, there was a malfunction, and Jimmy and Olivia's lever started to move back into it's 'off' position. The Daleks and Cybermen began to stop falling into the Void.

''Offline,'' the tannoy announced.

''Turn it on!'' the Doctor urged. Olivia jumped forward and tried to push the lever back, holding onto Jimmy's hand. The Doctor and Jimmy watched in horror as the blonde tried her best to push the lever. She groaned with effort as she pushed it forwards, finally managing to bring it upright.

''Online and locked,'' the tannoy announced, and the last of the Daleks and Cybermen began to fall into the Void. But this time, Olivia was holding onto Jimmy's hand and the lever.

''Hold on!'' Jimmy begged.

Olivia's hand let go of the lever, and she was now holding on to Jimmy's hand. Olivia kept hold with all of her strength.

But it wasn't enough.

Finger by finger, Olivia's grip was getting looser.

Her grip slipped.

All three screamed as Olivia was dragged towards the Void. The blonde closed her eyes and prepared for the end, only to feel herself crashing into something. She looked up to see that Molly had appeared and grabbed her. She expected her ''mother'' to transport again, but instead, the woman hurled her forward with the full force of her strength, before activating the transport disc and disappearing.

After having the Dalek and Cyberman armies hurled through, this final puncture was more damage than the universe could take, and at last the walls forced themselves closed... just seconds before Olivia could be pulled through again.

''Liv!'' Jimmy shouted, running up to the blonde, who was sobbing on the ground. He kissed her on the lips, and she threw her arms around him. ''I thought I'd lost you again,'' he sobbed.

A second later, Olivia shoved him off her. Jimmy looked at her in confusion.

''Jimmy, where's Alice?'' she asked.

''Oh God!'' Jimmy exclaimed, standing up and running off, the Doctor and Olivia following. Jimmy tried to call Alice's phone, but there was no answer.

''Let me trace it,'' the Doctor said, pulling out the sonic. Jimmy nodded and placed the call again, allowing the Doctor to trace Alice's phone signal.

* * *

The Doctor traced the signal to the area where the Cybermen had been hiding and where they had taken people to be upgraded. Alice's ringtone could be heard distantly.

''Not here,'' Jimmy begged, ''Anywhere but here.'' He stepped inside, and Alice's ringtone became louder. There were people all around, whimpering in fear now that the Cybermen had gone, and the hum of the malfunctioning Cyber-Conversion units was very unpleasant. Even worse were the screams of the people who were being upgraded. But worst was the conversion unit at the end, which had somehow caught fire.

And that one was where Alice's ringtone was coming from.

''Oh no,'' Jimmy murmured, running over to the conversion chamber while the Doctor and Olivia tried to help the others. As he got closer, he could smell the disgusting stench of burning flesh. Jimmy begged it to not be true, but as he pulled back the plastic curtains, he saw that Alice's bracelet was on the ground, along with the shattered remains of her glasses.

Jimmy whimpered as he stepped forward, and what he saw horrified him.

There was Alice laying on the ground in front of the burning conversion unit. Her legs were totally burned to the point that there was nothing left but charred flesh. There were some lesser burns across her upper body, including a nasty one which went across her face and up into her head, causing a nasty red 'bald patch'. As well as this, her upper body was covered in blood from where the Cybermen's equipment had sliced into her. She was somehow still alive, and was both whimpering and wheezing.

''Hey!'' Jimmy called, running over to her. Without her glasses she couldn't quite make out who he was, but his voice made it clear, ''I'm so sorry. I should have come back for you,'' Jimmy said, ''Doctor! Liv!''

Olivia ran in, horrified to see Alice's state. She sighed and ran over to the girl, sobbing as she saw just how bad Alice's injuries were.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was helping the few who hadn't been converted to escape, ushering them out. He realised there were still people in the conversion chambers, though most of them had died. He heard a scream, and saw a young man dragging out what appeared to be a Cyberman from a conversion unit. As they turned, the Doctor saw that it was a partially converted Cyberman. A young woman who had lots of Cyber technology grafted to her, but still had visible human parts. Both were screaming.

''Wait!'' the Doctor called as the man carried the partially converted Cyber-woman away, ''Help is on the way!''

The man didn't listen, and carried the young woman to the door leading to the staircase. The Doctor ran to the burning chamber, and saw the state Alice was in. He knew that she needed immediate medical attention if she was to survive. Suddenly, they heard the sound of shouting. The Doctor turned to see UNIT troops having burst in.

''We need medical attention immediately,'' he shouted, and the troops studied the bleeding, burned girl on the ground.

* * *

Alice was taken to hospital straight away. The hospital was crowded full of civilians who had been injured by Cybermen or Daleks, but since Alice's injuries were so severe, she was made a priority and was taken into theater straight away. Her parents had been informed and rushed to the hospital.

A doctor came to speak to Alice's parents and Jimmy.

''Is she gonna be OK?'' Rachel asked, terrified of the answer.

''Your daughter has lost a lot of blood, and she has fourth degree burns covering her lower body,'' the woman informed them.

'' _Fourth_ degree?'' Thomas replied in horror. The physician nodded solemnly.

''We've had to amputate both her legs and her right arm has lost all functionality,'' she continued. Alice's parents looked like they were going to be sick, ''I'm sorry.'' She walked away.

''Our baby girl!'' Rachel started to sob, clinging to Thomas' chest.

* * *

Later, Jimmy set with Rachel while Thomas had gone to get everyone something to eat.

''I just can't believe this happened,'' Rachel sighed, ''Of everyone, why did it have to be her?'' Jimmy shook his head. Although he didn't love Alice the way he loved Olivia, he still cared deeply for her, and was absolutely heartbroken at what happened.

''I don't know,'' Jimmy admitted.

''She wasn't just my little girl anymore,'' Rachel continued, ''You know she got straight As last year? And she got into Cambridge! Me and her dad... we were so proud. She was a beautiful, intelligent young woman. And then _this_ happens. It's not fair.''

Jimmy nodded in agreement. He couldn't even imagine the unfairness of getting so close to achieving your dream, and less than a day later finding out you'll never walk again. And it was _his_ fault. He could have gone to find Alice, but he'd been stupid enough to think she could evade the Cybermen. Alice was smart, but it was just brain power and book smarts, which wouldn't exactly help. It was all because he'd wanted to be a hero. He wanted to storm in there with the Doctor and get Olivia out. He could easily have let the Doctor get Olivia while he went after Alice. But no, he'd wanted to be a knight in shining armour, and all that had achieved was turn Alice into a disabled burn victim.

The physician walked towards them, ''You can see her now.'' Rachel hurried off to find Alice's father, and Jimmy decided to let them have their moment with her.

* * *

Later on, Jimmy sat with Olivia and cried on her shoulder.

''It wasn't your fault,'' she insisted to him, but he didn't believe her.

''It was! I could have saved her!''

''It wasn't!''

Alice's parents stepped out of her hospital room and walked up to Jimmy and Olivia.

''You can see her now,'' Thomas said. Jimmy looked at Olivia, who nodded, and the two stood up and headed towards Alice's room. This was the most difficult moment of each of their lives. Jimmy had to declare to a traumatised burn victim that he'd chosen somebody else over her.

''Hey, Al,'' Olivia said as they went in, hearing the unpleasant beeping of the medical equipment attached to Alice, including the heart monitor, which monitored a slow heart rate.

''I'm so sorry,'' Jimmy said.

''Jimmy!'' Alice smiled, though the burn on the side of her face made this difficult. Jimmy and Olivia felt like crying for the girl. Going through what Alice did would be terrible for anyone, but for someone like Alice, who prided herself on her beauty and brains? It must have destroyed her. Her former beauty was ruined by the burn on her face, and although she was as clever as ever, the fact that she'd need to be cared for for the rest of her life meant that she'd never fulfil her vast potential.

''I did this to you,'' Jimmy said, walking towards the girl, ''I should have looked after you, and I let you down.''

''Yeah, you did,'' Alice agreed, starting to sob, ''I wish I was dead...''

Olivia clung to Jimmy as she saw Alice cry, feeling her own eyes fill with tears.

As Alice did not have her glasses, she couldn't see that Jimmy and Olivia were clinging to each other. However, after squinting heavily in an attempt to see them better, she could just about make out how they were.

''Why are you holding each other like that?'' she asked fearfully.

''Al, listen...'' Jimmy started.

''You're with _her_?'' Alice shouted in horror. She started to breath heavily and her heart rate was now faster, ''So because _this_ happens, now I'm not good enough?''

''It's not like that,'' Jimmy tried, ''Just let me explain.''

''GET OUT!'' Alice sobbed, ''I NEVER WANT TO SEE EITHER OF YOU AGAIN!'' The two stepped out of the room, and could hear Alice wailing inside. Doctors ran in to calm her down, not wanting her to stress herself in her condition.

Jimmy and Olivia ran off, running all the way to the exit and leaving the hospital to find the TARDIS outside. As soon as they ran into the box, Jimmy started to cry. Olivia felt horrible too. Not too long ago, she'd hoped to mercilessly taunt Alice about the fact that Jimmy had chosen her. Instead, she'd watched Alice's already fragile psyche crumble at the revelation. She felt absolutely disgusted with herself.

''I'm such an idiot,'' Jimmy said.

* * *

Later, Jimmy had gone back to the hospital alone, and had managed to convince the staff to let him say his goodbyes to Alice in spite of his causing her distress previously. He stepped into her room where she was seemingly asleep.

''I did a terrible thing to you,'' he murmured, ''I was stupid.''

If she could hear him, she didn't show it.

''I wanted to be a hero,'' Jimmy recalled, ''I wanted to charge in there and save Liv. I didn't even think about you. ''

He paused for a moment, breathing in the cold air and listening to Alice's slow heart rate.

''I just want you to know that I do love you,'' Jimmy promised, ''I loved being with you. It's just... I've always loved Liv. I didn't mean to betray you. But... that time I had with you, I loved every second of it. I'll never, _ever_ forget you, Alice McGowan.''

He stroked what was left of her hair, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

''You're wonderful,'' he said to her, before stepping out.

He did not hear the whisper of ''I love you, Jimmy,'' that came from Alice's mouth as he left.

* * *

Jimmy stepped into the TARDIS, running into Olivia's arms and starting to cry again.

''Sshh,'' she said, rubbing his back, ''It's OK.''

The Doctor looked at them solemnly before setting the TARDIS into flight, wanting to take them all somewhere peaceful after the horrific events of the day. As Jimmy cried, the Doctor looked up from the console, and his eyes widened in shock.

Standing in front of them, with her back to them, was a bride.

''What?'' the Time Lord murmured, utterly confused.

The bride turned around and yelped, startling Jimmy and Olivia.

''What?!'' the Doctor repeated.

''Who are you?'' the bride wondered.

''But...'' the Doctor began, looking around in confusion.

''Where am I?'' the bride demanded.

''What?!'' the Doctor said again as Jimmy and Olivia looked between him and the bride.

''What the hell is this place?'' the bride yelled.

''WHAT?!''

* * *

 **How's that for a finale, guys? I loved this two-parter and wanted to put together an ending as shocking as RTD's original work. Poor, poor Alice... Nobody deserves a fate like that, even the most horrible of people.**

 **And of course a brief appearance from another well-loved whoniverse character... I couldn't resist putting that in there.**

 **Jimmy's guilt about what happened to Alice is going to weigh him down for a long time, particularly in _The Runaway Bride._**

 **I'm really excited to bring in Donna, my favourite companion. How will she hold up against the equally rude and disrespectful alternative Tenth Doctor?**

 **I hope you all enjoyed reading my rendition of _Army of Ghosts/Doomsday_ as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please leave a review and say what you think!**


	46. The Runaway Bride part 1

''You can't do that!'' the Doctor protested at the Bride that had appeared, ''I wasn't... we're in flight! That is... that is physically impossible! How did...?''

''Tell me where I am,'' the Bride bellowed, ''I demand you tell me right now, where am I?''

''Inside the TARDIS,'' the Doctor answered.

''The what?'' she questioned.

''The TARDIS.''

''The what?''

''Are you deaf or simply stupid?'' the Doctor shouted, ''The TARDIS!''

''That's not even a proper word!'' the bride argued, ''You're just saying things.''

''How did you get in here?'' Olivia asked.

''Well, obviously, when you lot kidnapped me!'' the bride raged, ''Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh, my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it.''

''Nerys?'' Olivia repeated.

''What're you dressed like that for?'' the Doctor wondered.

''I'm going ten pin bowling,'' the bride answered sarcastically, ''Why do you think, Dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle! I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away! And then you... I dunno, you drugged me or something!''

''We haven't done anything,'' the Doctor insisted, working at the TARDIS controls.

''We're having the police on you!'' she shouted, ''Me and my husband... as soon as he is my husband... we're gonna sue the living backside off ya!'' She made for the doors.

''No, wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't!'' the Doctor protested. He didn't want the doors opened while they were in flight, but it was too late. The bride pulled them open to reveal deep space.

''We're in space,'' Olivia revealed, ''This is a spaceship. It's called the TARDIS.''

''How am I breathing?'' the bride wondered.

''The TARDIS is protecting us,'' the Doctor answered.

''Who are you lot?''

''I'm Olivia,'' the blonde introduced, ''This is the Doctor, and that's Jimmy.'' She pointed at the boy, who was still staring at the ground.

''Donna,'' the bride introduced, ''You're aliens?''

''Just me,'' the Doctor answered, ''These two are human.''

''It's freezing with these doors open,'' Donna remarked. The Doctor shut the doors and headed back to the console.

''But I don't understand it!'' the Doctor remarked, ''This... this can't happen! There is no way a Human Being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be...'' he grabbed an ophthalmoscope and started scanning Donna's eyes. ''Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic...''

Donna slapped him across the face. The Doctor turned back to her with a look of pure anger on his face.

''Get me to the church!'' Donna bellowed. The Doctor didn't speak a word, but turned to the console and got to work.

''Where is this wedding?'' the Doctor asked.

''Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System!'' Donna shouted.

''Must you shout?'' the Doctor asked as he worked, ''It does make you sound even more stupid than you actually are!''

Donna looked at him indignantly, before spotting a cardigan slung against the TARDIS railing and snatching it up.

''I knew it,'' she sneered, ''Acting all innocent. I'm not the first, am I? How many women have you abducted?''

Jimmy stepped forward, eyeing the cardigan Donna was holding.

 _Alice's_ cardigan.

''Put that down,'' he ordered dangerously. Donna didn't move, so Jimmy walked up and snatched it out of her hand.

''Who's is it?'' Donna asked, frightened.

''My friend's,'' Jimmy answered, not even looking up.

''Where is she, then?'' Donna asked sarcastically, ''Popped out for a space walk?''

The look Jimmy fixed her with was enough to stop Donna asking any more questions.

''She's not here.''

''Anyway!'' the Doctor interrupted, seeing how angry Jimmy was, ''Chiswick!''

Olivia grabbed Jimmy's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

Donna stepped out of the TARDIS as soon as they landed, the Doctor and his friends following.

''I said 'Saint Mary's','' Donna shouted, ''What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?''

''Something's wrong with her,'' the Doctor mused, stroking the TARDIS, ''It's like she's... recalibrating!'' He rushed back inside, ''She's digesting.''

Donna, meanwhile, had finally noticed exactly what she had just stepped out of, and was wondering how a large room could fit inside the tiny box.

''What have you eaten?'' the Doctor asked from inside, though Donna was too busy looking around the tiny box to listen, ''What's wrong? Donna? You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might've caused this? Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous. I mean, have you... have you seen lights in the sky? Or... did you touch something? Something... something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or... who're you getting married to?''

Donna looked around the TARDIS once more, before sticking her head inside to make sure she wasn't imagining it's size. Once she had confirmed it, she stepped back in shock.

''Are you sure he's human?'' the Doctor asked, ''He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?''

Donna ran off, with Jimmy and Olivia in pursuit. The Doctor hurried after them.

''Leave me alone,'' Donna said, ''I just want to get married.''

''Come back to the TARDIS,'' Olivia implored.

''No way. That box is too... weird.''

The Doctor looked confused as to what was so weird about it.

''Ten past three,'' Donna sighed, glancing at her watch, ''I'm gonna miss it!''

''Can't you phone them?'' the Doctor asked.

''How do I do that?'' Donna asked.

''Haven't you got a mobile?''

''I'm in my wedding dress!'' Donna shouted, ''It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting, do you think I said "Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets"?!''

''I feel sorry for the man you're marrying,'' the Doctor remarked, ''Having to put up with an idiot like you...''

''Oi!'' Donna argued, ''No stupid Martian is gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!''

''Wait!'' Olivia called as Donna started to run off, ''Use my phone!'' She handed it to her.

Donna punched the digits into the keypad. ''Voicemail,'' she muttered, ''Mum, get off the phone and listen. I'm in... Oh, my God- I dunno where I am! It's... it's a street. And there's WH Smith... but it's definitely Earth.'' She ended the call. ''We need a taxi! You got any money?''

All three time travellers shook their heads.

''Let me deal with it,'' the Doctor said, heading towards a cash machine. Jimmy and Olivia followed, watching Donna resort to begging people in the street.

After the man in front finally left, the Doctor stepped forward and used the sonic screwdriver to withdraw some money.

''Doctor,'' Olivia murmured behind him. The Time Lord turned around, and the blonde drew his attention to a group of masked Santas playing trumpets not far away. The Doctor glanced at them suspiciously, remembering the masked Santa robots that had bothered them the previous Christmas.

''Taxi!'' they heard Donna shouted, watching as a taxi pulled up and Donna said something to the driver. ''Thanks for nothing, spaceman! I'll see you all in Court.'' She got in. As the taxi drove off, the Doctor saw that the driver was wearing the same mask as the Santa band.

''Oh no,'' the Doctor murmured. He saw the Santas in the street point their instruments, which he knew were weapons, at them, and used the sonic on the cash machine, sending banknotes flying everywhere. The people around them all scrambled hurriedly for the money, providing enough distraction for the Doctor, Olivia and Jimmy to flee back to the TARDIS.

* * *

The Doctor let them into the box, before rushing to the console and setting the TARDIS into the action, while watching the taxi's progress on the screen. The TARDIS shook violently and sparks flew from the console. The Doctor shook his head and whacked it with a hammer, smirking as they finally managed to catch up with the taxi.

''Talk to her,'' he told his companions, ''Get her to jump into the TARDIS!''

''What?'' Olivia questioned.

''I have to operate the controls. You two need to get her to jump!''

''Open the door!'' Jimmy shouted as the TARDIS flew alongside the taxi.

''Do you what?'' Donna repeated.

''Open the door!''

''I can't, it's locked!''

''The door's locked,'' Olivia told the Doctor, who pointed the sonic and unlocked it.

Donna pushed the window down, ''Santa's a robot!'' she shouted.

''We knew that already!'' Jimmy shouted, ''Get the door open! You have to jump!''

''I'm not bleedin' flip jumping, I'm supposed to be getting married!'' Donna raged.

The robot Santa, who was listening, accelerated, overtaking the TARDIS. The Doctor worked the controls frantically, bumping over another car before catching up to the taxi.

''You have to jump now!'' Olivia insisted.

''I'm not jumping on a motorway!'' Donna protested.

''It's the only way out of that taxi!'' Jimmy insisted.

''I'm in my wedding dress!'' Donna yelled.

''Hurry up!'' Jimmy shouted. Donna opened the door reluctantly and positioned herself to jump.

''I can't do it,'' Donna whimpered.

''Trust me!'' Jimmy assured, ''I know you can do it!''

''Is that what you said to her?'' Donna wondered, ''Your friend? The one you lost? Did she trust you?''

Jimmy paused, Olivia glancing at him sadly. As far as he was concerned, Alice trusting him was what had sealed her fate. Telling Donna to trust him made Jimmy feel like a disgusting hypocrite. However, he was soon reminded of another time when Alice trusted him, back on the Sanctuary Base, when she'd mustered up the courage to face her claustrophobia because _he_ believed in her.

''Yes she did,'' he answered solemnly, ''So do it for her, not me.''

Donna nodded and jumped, falling straight into Jimmy's arms. The Doctor worked to get the TARDIS away from there, flying them into the sky.

* * *

 **A nice bit of Sad!Jimmy to begin this story with. He's still super cut up about Alice. Will Olivia be able to help him mend?**

 **Legoguineapig - Thanks for the support! It's appreciated. As for whether I'm doing Series 3, I'm not sure yet. I have some ideas on where the story goes next, but it's a question of having the time and effort to continue writing, especially as I've just got a new job which is much more time consuming.**


	47. The Runaway Bride part 2

Donna glanced at her watch as they stood at the top of a building. Olivia stood snuggled with Jimmy while the Doctor extinguished the fire in the TARDIS, coughing and spluttering as he did so.

''We'd better give her a couple of hours,'' the Doctor decided.

''We missed it,'' Donna sighed.

''You can book another date,'' Olivia reasoned.

''Course we can...'' Donna agreed unenthusiastically.

''Still got the honeymoon...'' Jimmy noted.

''It's just a holiday now,'' Donna remarked, ''Wish we had a time machine. Then we could go back and get it right.''

''But... even if I did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline,'' the Doctor explained, drawing quiet smirks from Jimmy and Olivia, ''Apparently.''

Donna shook her head before sitting on the edge of the roof, a sad expression on her face.

''Oh and you'd better put this on,'' the Doctor said, pulling what appeared to be a ring out of his pocket and handing it to her.

''Oh, do you have to rub it in?'' Donna spat.

''Those creatures can trace you,'' the Doctor said, ''This is a bio-damper. Should keep you hidden.'' He placed it on her finger.

''So, come on then,'' Donna said, ''Robot Santas... what are they for?''

''Robo-scavengers,'' the Doctor said, ''The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. I met them last Christmas.''

''Why, what happened then?'' Donna wondered.

''You didn't see the big spaceship?'' Olivia asked.

''I had a bit of a hangover,'' Donna remarked. All three raised an eyebrow at this.

''Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you?'' the Doctor wondered, ''And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know...'' He pulled out the sonic, ''What's your job?''

''I'm a secretary,'' Donna revealed.

''It doesn't make sense,'' the Doctor said, scanning her with the sonic, ''You're the most ordinary person in the world, and yet you somehow beamed into the TARDIS.''

''Stop bleeping me!'' Donna shouted, pushing the screwdriver away.

''What kind of secretary?'' the Doctor asked.

''I'm at HC Clements,'' Donna remarked, ''It's where I met Lance, my fiance. I was temping. I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought... I'm never gonna fit in here. And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance... he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him ... one cup of coffee. That was it.''

''When was this?'' the Doctor wondered.

''Six months ago,'' Donna answered.

''That's a bit fast,'' Olivia remarked.

''Well... he insisted,'' Donna claimed. Jimmy and Olivia had a feeling Donna wasn't telling the whole truth here, ''And he nagged... and he nagged me... And he just wore me down and then finally, I just gave in.''

''What does HC Clements do?'' the Doctor asked.

''Oh, security systems, you know... entry codes, ID cards... that sort of thing,'' Donna answered, ''If you ask me, it's a posh name for 'locksmiths'.''

''Keys,'' the Doctor mused.

''Anyway, enough of my CV,'' Donna said, ''Come on, it's time to face the consequences. Oh, this is gonna be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy.''

''I'm not from Mars!'' the Doctor said, and the four stood up.

''Oh, I had this great big reception all planned,'' Donna remarked, ''Everyone's gonna be heartbroken.''

* * *

However, when they arrived, everyone seemed to be having a great time. Donna stared furiously at everyone enjoying _her_ reception without her. Finally, her mother spotted her and froze, gesturing for everyone else to do the same.

''You had the reception without me?'' Donna shouted as everyone went silent.

''Donna... what happened to ya?'' a man, obviously Lance, asked.

''You had the reception without me?'' Donna yelled again.

''Well, it was all paid for... why not?'' a snobby looking blonde woman argued.

''Thank you, Nerys,'' Donna spat sarcastically.

''Well, what were we supposed to do?'' Donna's mother protested, ''I got your silly little message in the end. "I'm on Earth"? Very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick because I'd love to know...''

This caused a massive commotion, as everyone bombarded Donna with questions. She seemingly couldn't handle it and burst into tears, prompting everyone to start pitying her. Lance pulled her into a hug and she started to cry into his shoulder. As everyone applauded, Donna winked at the Doctor and his friends through her fake tears, drawing a nod from the Doctor and smirks from Jimmy and Olivia.

* * *

Later on, the party was in full swing, with everyone dancing and having a good time. Jimmy and Olivia shared a dance... which to them sharing more than a few kisses. However, Olivia could see that Jimmy wasn't in the mood. She couldn't blame him, of course. From their perspective it had only been a few hours since he had left Alice in the hospital, and she knew Jimmy still blamed himself for what happened.

The Doctor beckoned for the two to come over, and they did so.

''Phone,'' he said to Olivia, and she handed it to him. He ran a search for ''H.C Clements'', though this did not return any particularly interesting results. He then glanced around to make sure nobody was watching them, and intensified the search with the sonic screwdriver. The three watched tensely as '"Sole Prop. TORCHWOOD" appeared on the screen.

Jimmy turned away, feeling _rage_ rise through him. Because of _them_ , Alice would never walk again. If H.C Clements was owned by Torchwood, that meant there may still be some Torchwood operatives active. And if there were any Torchwood operatives active...

He would kill them.

The Doctor strode over to the cameraman, who was still filming, and asked to see the footage of Donna disappearing.

''I taped the whole thing, they've all had a look,'' the cameraman remarked, ''They said "sell it to You've Been Framed". I said "more like the News". Here we are...'' He played the tape, showing Donna surrounded by golden energy before disappearing.

''Can't be!'' the Doctor remarked, ''Play it again?''

''Clever, mind!'' the cameraman remarked ''Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping.''

''But that looks like... Huon Particles!'' the Doctor noted.

''What's that?'' the cameraman asked.

''That's impossible, that's... ancient!'' the Doctor continued, ''Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years! So old that... it can't be hidden by a biodamper!''

He hurried over to the window and saw the robot Santas approaching the building, before sprinting to Donna.

''Donna!'' he called, ''Donna, they've found you.''

''But you said I was safe,'' Donna pointed out.

''The biodamper doesn't work,'' the Doctor revealed, ''We've got to get everyone out.''

''Oh, my God...'' Donna said, ''It's all my family...''

''The back door!'' the Doctor suggested, trying that, only to see the Santas cornering them.

''We're trapped,'' Donna cried as Jimmy and Olivia joined them. The Doctor saw one of the Santas holding what appeared to be a remote control. He glanced at the Christmas tree, remembering the one from last year.

''Oh no,'' the Doctor muttered, ''Get away from the tree!''

''Don't touch the trees!'' Donna repeated, following his lead.

''Get away from the Christmas trees, everyone get away from them!'' the Doctor insisted.

''Out!'' Donna bellowed, ''Lance, tell them!''

''Get away from the tree!'' Olivia shouted. Jimmy saw the Santas press a button on the remote.

''Oh, for God's sakes, they're idiots!'' Donna's mother, Sylvia, argued, ''Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna... oh!'' The baubles started to float off the tree in some strange formation. The guests all watched excitedly as the baubles floated... until one zoomed forward and exploded. The other baubles did the same, causing a massive amount of damage as everyone ran for cover. The Doctor hurried to the sound system, picking up the microphone to address the Santas.

''You know,'' he began, ''You should not let a person with a sonic screwdriver near your sound system. You never know what they might decide to do. '' He held the sonic next to the amplifiers, producing a horrible screeching sound which made everyone cover their ears, but also destroyed the Santas. Once they were destroyed, the Doctor ran over to examine their remains.

''But what is it?'' Lance wondered, ''What were they?''

''Interesting,'' the Doctor remarked, ''The robots didn't just have a remote control. They were being controlled. Something must've taken possession of them.''

''Never mind all that,'' Donna dismissed, ''You're a doctor... people have been hurt.''

''They wanted you alive,'' the Doctor remarked.

''All I'm saying... you could help.''

''There's still a signal!'' the Doctor remarked, holding a Santa's head to his ear, before hurrying out of the room with Jimmy and Olivia in tow.

''There's someone behind this,'' the Doctor remarked, ''Directing the robo-force.''

''But why is it me?'' Donna asked, ''What have I done?''

''If we find the controller, we'll find that out,'' the Doctor answered, only to receive a signal, ''Oh! It's up there. Something in the sky.'' However, the signal started to waver, ''I've lost the signal... Donna, we've got to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started.'' He noticed Lance, ''Lance... give us a lift!'' He hurried off.

Olivia smiled at the man, who rolled his eyes.


	48. The Runaway Bride part 3

The Doctor, Olivia, Jimmy, Donna and Lance arrived at H.C Clements.

''This might just be a locksmiths, but H C Clements was brought up twenty three years ago by the Torchwood Institute,'' the Doctor explained.

''Who are they?'' Donna asked.

''They're a bunch of fucking...'' Jimmy started angrily, but Olivia put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

''They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf,'' the Doctor revealed, expecting Donna to know what he was talking about, ''... Cyberman invasion? Skies over London full of Daleks?''

''Oh, I was in Spain,'' Donna said.

''They had Cybermen in Spain.''

''Scuba diving.''

''Talk about ignorant,'' the Doctor remarked, ''Torchwood was destroyed, but H C Clements stayed in business. I think... someone else came in and took over the operation.''

''But what do they want with me?'' Donna wondered.

''Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy,'' the Doctor explained, ''And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. That's how you got there to begin with. The particles in you activated, drawing themselves to a larger source: The TARDIS.'' He turned to Lance. ''Lance? What was H C Clements working on? Any idea?''

''I don't know,'' Lance answered as the Doctor scanned the computer with the sonic, ''I'm in charge of personnel. I wasn't project manager. Why am I even explaining myself? What the hell are we talking about?''

''Don't take that town with me, human!'' the Doctor shouted dangerously, frightening Donna and Lance.

''Doctor, focus!'' Olivia interrupted.

''H.C Clements make keys...'' the Doctor mused, before bringing up 3D of the building, ''And look at this... we're on the third floor.''

He stood up and headed for the lift, the others following.

''Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?'' the Doctor asked as he, Jimmy and Olivia entered the lift, ''Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement'? There's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?''

''Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?'' Lance scoffed.

''Yes!'' the Doctor replied.

''It needs a key,'' Donna pointed out.

''Does it?'' the Doctor asked, using the sonic on the locked button, ''Goodbye, you two''.

''No chance, Martian,'' Donna argued, ''You're the man who keeps saving my life, I ain't letting you out of my sight.'' She stepped inside. ''Lance?''

''Maybe I should go to the police,'' Lance tried, obviously not wanting to get involved.

''Inside!'' Donna insisted, and Lance reluctantly stepped inside.

The lift stopped, and the group stepped out into a dark, dimly lit corridor.

''Where are we?'' Donna wondered, ''Well, what goes on down here?''

''Let's find out...'' the Doctor decided.

''Do you think Mr. Clements knows about this place?'' Donna asked.

''The mysterious H C Clements?'' the Doctor echoed, ''I think he's part of it.'' He noticed something... ''Ah... Transport!''

* * *

Donna was having a great time moving along on the electric scooters the Doctor had found. For once, the Doctor seemed to be enjoying himself as well. Olivia and Donna burst out laughing, and the Doctor had a smirk on his face. Lance had missed the joke entirely, looking completely bewildered. Jimmy managed a small smile, but was still not in the mood.

At last, they arrived at a door which read ''TORCHWOOD – AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY''. The Doctor turned the wheel and opened it to reveal a ladder.

''Don't move a muscle,'' he instructed the humans, ''I need to get my bearings.'' He started to climb up the ladder.

''Donna...'' Lance began, ''Have you thought about this? Properly? I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we gonna do?''

''Oh, I thought July,'' Donna murmured in response. Jimmy and Olivia sniggered behind her.

The Doctor reached the manhole at the top of the ladder and opened it to find he was overlooking the Thames Flood barrier.

''Thames flood barrier!'' the Doctor shouted as he got back down, ''Right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath.''

''What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?'' Donna questioned.

''It's not the first time,'' the Doctor pointed out, reminding Jimmy and Olivia of the Nestene base under the London Eye, during their very first adventure with him. The group headed off to a laboratory at the end of the hall, where various equipment had been set up.

''Particle extrusion...'' the Doctor mused, staring at the equipment.

''What's that?'' Olivia asked.

''They've been manufacturing Huon particles,'' the Doctor explained, ''Because my people got rid of Huons, they unravelled the atomic structure.

''Your people?'' Lance repeated, ''Who are they? What company do you represent?'' Jimmy and Olivia shared another laugh at this.

The Doctor ignored Lance's question, ''But this lot are rebuilding them,'' he said, ''They've been using the river! Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result: Huon particles in liquid form.''

He picked up a small test tube filled with the liquid particles.

''And that's what's inside me?'' Donna wondered. The Doctor nodded, twisting a nob at the front of the test tube and making the particles glow. It seemed to be having the same effect on Donna. ''Oh, my God!'' she panicked.

''That's it!'' the Doctor realised, ''You're the catalyst. Activating the inert particles. And then it's your wedding day! You're emotional. Your body chemistry is going haywire... Just what the particles need. Genius...''

''Right, just tell me...'' Donna started, ''These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?''

The Doctor looked at her solemnly, ''No,'' he admitted, ''But it's OK. I'll sort it. I'll remove them. They will not harm you.''

''Oh, she is long since lost,'' a voice boomed above them. Suddenly, one of the walls opened up to reveal a hidden chamber with an enormous hole in the floor. ''I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe...'' the voice continued, ''Until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!'' Lance fled the room, and Black-clad robots lined the walls and pointed their guns at the group.

''Someone's been digging...'' the Doctor noted, peering down the hole, ''Oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?''

''Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!'' the voice answered.

''What for?'' Olivia asked.

''Dinosaurs,'' Donna suggested.

''I'm sorry?'' the Doctor said.

''That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs,'' Donna suggested, ''Trying to help!''

''Such a sweet bride,'' the voice sneered.

''Show yourself!'' the Doctor commanded.

''I am high in the sky, floating so high on Christmas Night,'' the voice said.

''I order you to reveal yourself!'' the Doctor bellowed.

''Who are you with such command?'' the voice asked.

''I'm the Doctor.''

''Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man, for you will be sick at heart,'' the voice sneered. Suddenly, an enormous, spider-like woman teleported into the room. The Doctor looked at her in horror.

''Racnoss?'' he murmured, ''That's impossible!''

''Empress of the Racnoss,'' she introduced. Jimmy was frozen where he stood. He hated spiders.

''Are there others?'' the Doctor asked. The Empress did not respond, ''Last of your kind.'' He turned to the humans, ''The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago, billions. They were carnivores, omnivores, they devoured whole planets.''

''Racnoss are born starving, is that our fault?'' the Empress argued.

''They eat people?'' Donna asked.

''You know H.C Clements?'' Olivia asked Donna, ''Did he wear black and white shoes?''

''He did!'' Donna affirmed, ''We used to laugh, we used to call him the fat cat in spats.''

The blonde pointed to web on the ceiling, where said shoes were suspended in the air.  
''Oh, my God!'' Donna shrieked.

''Mm, my Christmas dinner,'' the Empress cackled.

''You shouldn't even exist!'' the Doctor argued, ''Way back in history, the Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss. They were wiped out!''

''Except for me,'' the Empress sneered. Donna noticed Lanced sneaking behind the Empress with an axe in his hand. He motioned for her to keep the Empress's attention.

''But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing!'' Donna bellowed, ''Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me.''

Lance continued to creep along, unnoticed by the the Empress.

''The bride is so feisty!'' the Empress mocked.

''Yes, I am!'' Donna agreed, ''And I don't know what you are, you big... thing. But a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!''

Lance raised the axe, and the Empress turned to face him. But then, he stopped... and started to laugh. And the Empress was laughing with him.

''That was a good one,'' Lance chuckled, ''Your face!''

''Lance is funny,'' the Empress giggled.

''What?'' Donna questioned, ''Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!''

''God, she's thick!'' Lance sneered nastily, ''Months I had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map.''

''I don't understand,'' Donna said meekly.

''How did you meet him?'' Jimmy asked.

''In the office.''

''He made you coffee,'' Olivia recalled.

''What?''

''Every day, I made you coffee,'' Lance explained in a condescending tone.

''You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months,'' the Doctor revealed.

''He was poisoning me?'' Donna questioned, distraught.

''You're disgusting!'' Olivia shouted at Lance.

''But... we were getting married,'' Donna remarked.

''Well, I couldn't risk you running off,'' Lance retorted, ''I had to say yes. And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap... "oh, Brad and Angelina... Is Posh pregnant?" X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me, dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia. I deserve a medal.''

''You're a fucking arsehole!'' Jimmy shouted at him.

''But I love you,'' Donna declared feebly. For a second, Jimmy wondered if this was how Alice had felt when she discovered he had essentially cheated on her. He felt another pang of guilt hit him.

''That's what made it easy,'' Lance remarked, ''What's the point of it all if the Human Race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to... go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?''

''Not like this,'' the Doctor replied.

''Who is this little physician?'' the Empress wondered.

''What she said... Martian,'' Lance answered.

''Not quite,'' the Doctor dismissed, ''But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's gonna help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?''

''I think he wants us to talk,'' Lance sneered.

''I think so too,'' the Empress noted.

''Well, tough!'' Lance shouted, ''All we need is Donna!''

''Kill this chattering little doctor-man and his friends!'' the Empress ordered. Jimmy grabbed Olivia protectively and Donna stepped in front of the Doctor.

''Don't you hurt him!'' Donna screamed.

''At arms!'' The Empress shouted. The armed robots pointed their guns at the four.

''I should point out that the fact that Donna has huon particles coursing through her is what brought her to my TARDIS,'' the Doctor pointed out, ''And in theory, it could bring the TARDIS... to her!'' He started twisting the knob of the test tube again, causing it and Donna to glow. A second later, they were inside the TARDIS. ''Off we go!'' the Doctor cheered.

Donna sighed and leant against the console, heartbroken. Olivia went and put an arm around her in comfort.

''Oh, you know what I said before about time machines?'' the Doctor rambled, oblivious, ''Well, I lied. And now we're gonna use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. I've always wanted to see the beginning of the Earth.''

Donna flopped onto the captain's chair in tears, barely hearing what the Doctor was saying.

''We've arrived,'' the Doctor announced, swinging the screen around, but deciding that a ''live'' view would be better. ''You three coming?'' he asked the humans.

Donna nodded through her tears, and followed Jimmy and Olivia after the Doctor.

''We must be must the first people to ever see this!'' Olivia remarked.

''All I want to see is my bed,'' Donna spat.

''Welcome to the creation of the Earth,'' the Doctor announced, swinging open the doors to reveal the stunning site of the new sun, with gas clouds, dust and rocks scattered around it. ''We've gone back 4.6 billion years. There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas. That's the Sun over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn.''

''It's beautiful,'' Olivia said, slipping her hand into Jimmy's.

''Where's the Earth?'' Donna wondered.

''All around us... in the dust,'' the Doctor answered.

''Puts the wedding in perspective,'' Donna remarked, ''Lance was right. We're just... tiny.''

The Doctor didn't quite know what to say to that.

''I came out of all this?'' Donna wondered.

''Isn't that brilliant?'' the Doctor affirmed.

''I think that's the Isle of Wight,'' Donna joked as a vast rock floated past. Everyone chuckled.

''Eventually, gravity takes hold,'' the Doctor explained, ''Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get the...''

''Earth,'' Donna surmised.

''But the question is... what was that first rock?''

Slowly, an enormous star-shaped rock emerged from the clouds.

''The Racnoss...'' the Doctor realised. He rushed back to the console and turned a wheel frantically. ''Hold on! The Racnoss are hiding from the war! What's it doing?

''Exactly what you said!'' Donna answered.

''They didn't just bury something at the centre of the Earth...'' The Doctor realised, ''They became the centre of the Earth. The first rock.'' The TARDIS shook violently, almost knocking everyone to the ground.

''What was that?'' Donna wondered.

''Trouble!'' the Doctor answered, slamming the doors.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I'm sorry for another massive wait! Apart from some Harry Potter oneshots I wrote a while back, I haven't been able to upload anything new due to more family issues and having to take on some more training at work! I'm hoping to get the final chapter done by the end of this week.**

 **Speaking of Harry Potter, any fans reading this? What house would you fit these characters into?**

 **As an added note, would anyone be interested in writing a oneshot to be added to the end of this story? It was something I was thinking of doing but what I have in mind is something I feel could be handled a lot better by somebody else than by me. Anyone interested shoot me a PM and I'll explain what I have in mind.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and say what you think!**


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